


Getting Lost; Being Found

by In_the_aroace_brigade



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Feel Fest, Agender Frisk, Angst, Because that deserves to be a tag, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Frisk Gets Sick, Frisk eats garbage, Gen, Hints of child abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of No Mercy Route, POV Multiple, Post-Pacifist Route, Selectively Mute Frisk, Social Anxiety, Tags will be updated as needed, but really it is severe, hints of depression, homeless! Frisk, mentioned agenderphobia, orphan! Frisk, which makes them hate themselves almost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2018-05-15 15:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 52,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5791507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_the_aroace_brigade/pseuds/In_the_aroace_brigade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk shook their head. “I...have somewhere to go” they said. *It isn’t technically a lie; I didn’t say that I had a family.* “I’m sure I’ll see you around sometime.” *Maybe.*</p><p>Frisk lives under a bridge and doesn't want to bother their new friends. They decide to never go see anyone because someone could ask questions, and that would be bad...wouldn't it?</p><p>Meanwhile, everyone else is looking for their human child in the striped sweater.</p><p>*I have recently edited all of the chapters to break up the paragraphs into more manageable sections for easier reading*</p><p>(Undertale is owned by Toby Fox)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Getting Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Mainly wrote this for my own amusement, I decided after much thought to put it up here. Hope you enjoy. This fic is not officially beta'd and if you find a mistake, please let me know. Even grad students have trouble writing sometimes. 
> 
>  
> 
> Scratch that. Grad students have trouble writing all the time.
> 
> Italics: Thoughts  
> Italics inside quotations: Songs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made some edits regarding the story. It will not change the story itself but instead will hopefully provide a little background and make this whole adventure seem a little more realistic.

They had finally made it out of the Underground, and after a little while of enjoying the sunset their new friends had drifted off to pursue activities of their own. All except Toriel, that is. She had remained there with Frisk, staring off towards the horizon and looking like she was hesitating to initiate a conversation. Frisk stood there, waiting for Toriel to either say something or leave. They didn’t want their friends to know where they were going to disappear to. _It’s for the best_ Frisk reasoned. No one had really asked about what was waiting for them in the human world, and Frisk hadn’t volunteered any information. They didn’t want anyone to know their secret. It felt bad to decline Asgore’s request to be ambassador, but they were pretty sure that someone else would be more qualified. Papyrus had immediately proclaimed himself to be ambassador, and despite Frisk’s initial misgivings they decided that no one would be able to hate the skeleton with his warm nature and caring heart. He would do well, and Sans would be there to have his back.

Finally Toriel seemed to make her decision. “Child, what are your plans now? Do you have a family here on the surface? I wondered because I wasn’t sure why someone of your age would be allowed to wander on the mountain by themselves. If…if you do not have a place to go, you could come stay with me. Asgore is going to come with me too because I don’t trust him to take care of himself. We could be your family if you wish?” Frisk froze in place, realizing that Toriel had just asked the one question they were the most worried about.

Frisk composed themselves quickly. _She can’t know. None of them can. If they found out that I didn’t have a family, that I was homeless?_ Frisk shook their head. “I...have somewhere to go” they said. _It isn’t technically a lie; I didn’t say that I had a family._ “I’m sure I’ll see you around sometime.” _Maybe._ Toriel looked at Frisk with brow furrowed, obviously bewildered at their choice of words. Frisk began to back away, forcing a fake smile on their face. _This is why I rarely talk. I always seem to say something that upsets someone._ They waved goodbye as Toriel continued to look at them, confusion written on her face. Frisk continued to back up until they were about 20 yards away, then quickly turned around and left.

Toriel called out “Frisk, you don’t have to leave right now. Why not wait until morning when it is light? I don’t want you to get lost on this mountain.”

Frisk waved again without even looking back, dismissing the notion. They didn’t want to see the look on Toriel’s face again. They knew if they had stayed overnight, Toriel would have told the others about what was said and someone would figure it out. They didn’t want to see Asgore’s tears, hear Mettaton’s dramatic monologue, watch Alphys start stammering, unsure what to say. They definitely didn’t want to hear Undyne call them punk and ask why they hadn’t said anything, listen as Papyrus would shout about how HE would take care of the human, or look Sans in the eyes. Sans might act like he rarely cares all that much, but Frisk had gotten to know him a bit while navigating the underground. He had helped them out a couple of times and kept them on the right path. Frisk was pretty sure that despite what was said, that he is the easiest person to defeat, they would have died several times over in that hall of judgment if they had not kept on the moral path. Sans was intense, and Frisk didn’t want that intensity focused on them. They were sure Sans would be the first to figure it out.

As soon as they were sure that Toriel was out of sight, Frisk began running down the mountain. They did technically have a home to go to, if you could consider a ledge under a bridge a home. It took them over 2 hours to get there, partly because they kept hiding whenever they heard a noise, just in case someone had tried to follow them. Eventually Frisk reached their bridge. They had found the spot a couple of months ago when seeking shelter from a storm. There was a support ledge that would not fit an adult but was the perfect size for a child. Frisk was not even tall enough to reach the ledge but they had figured out a way to climb up the corner to get there. It had just enough room to store a couple of items and to sleep. Frisk quickly checked the area to make sure that no humans, or now also monsters, were watching before they disappeared underneath. Even though it was dark they knew where everything was. _Or at least as long as no one else has found this place._

They were in luck it seemed. Nothing in their little nest was disturbed. They had a cup for getting water from the stream below, a couple bars of soap they found in a hotel dumpster, a sharp rock that could be used to cut things if they needed it, and a picture of a goldfish they had found in a magazine in the trash one day. They knew other kids had pets and while they couldn’t have an actual pet, this was the next best thing. Frisk was pretty sure they couldn’t even afford a pet rock like Sans and Papyrus had. Sprinkles cost money, and that was something that was very hard to come by for a 10 year old.

They placed the cell phone next to their other belongings. It was dead, but it still reminded Frisk of their adventure and all of their new friends. They sighed. _I don’t know that I’ll be able to go visit them. Each time I go they will only ask more questions. Maybe they’ll forget about me now that they’ve made it to the surface. I don’t want to cause anyone to worry or to make them care about me.  I’ll just have to be careful when I go to scavenge for food._ Speaking of food, they checked to see if they had any berries left. They would go into the forest when possible and pick berries they knew were safe to eat so they could try to dry them out to have a little extra food in the winter. Of course their belly would be full of berries by the end of each trip as well. They were always careful not to take too much from each bush so that animals could have some too and so that anyone passing by might not get too suspicious. They doubted people would actually care enough to pay attention to something like that, but they preferred to be cautious.

Frisk thought back on how they had first learned what berries were safe for them to consume. They had been on a class field trip to the local state park. A nice park ranger had met them and taken them on a hike.

Begin Flashback

“Okay kids, now I’m going to show you something very important! This could save your life if you get lost in the woods.” The ranger gestured to the berry bushes that surrounded the class. “These are the Ebbot berries, named so because they only grow on this mountain. They are one of the few berries in this forest that are safe to eat and…” the park ranger paused to pop a couple of berries into their mouth. “-they are delicious! Everyone go ahead a pick a handful and put them in the paper bags. Don’t eat them yet though! First there is a special place on this mountain I would like to show you.”

They wound a little further up the mountain before coming to another stop. The ranger had led them into a glade in the woods. “If you look around, you can see marks on all the trees. We have found out that they were left here a few hundred years ago. Whoever did this carved into the tree trunk itself and then made a sort of ink to fill in the scrapes in the bark. Much of it has faded, but we have done our best to preserve this bit of history. Berries like the ones you are holding would have been a staple in these individual’s diets. They would have eaten them particularly in the winter, when little other food is to be found around here.”

Frisk raised their hand. “How did the berries last that long without going rotten?”

The ranger smiled and said “Great question! The indigenous people would boil foods like this and then lay them out in the sun to dry.”

_Well, I guess that part won’t work for now._

Two months later they left when the group home closed.

End Flashback

Frisk checked the box they had found to hold any leftover food. It even had a lid and they always put a rock on top to keep animals out. Looking inside, they groaned. _That’s right, this is why I ventured up the mountain. I was looking for more berries to eat, they are getting harder and harder to find with winter approaching._ Frisk almost decided they could wait until morning to scavenge some food, but they realized that most of the monsters were still in the process of packing up their belongings to move to the surface. This would be the last night they would have before they would need to look over their shoulder even more. Humans usually didn’t even pay attention that much; most were too wrapped up in their own world to notice anything. Frisk knew how to carry themselves in public so that no one would take too much notice. They were small for their age from the malnutrition, but they just pretended they always had someplace to be and avoided all cops and anyone who looked like they were staring.

Frisk jumped down from the ledge, bruising their knee. They grinned ruefully, remembering how concerned Toriel had been when they found them at first. _Everyone seemed so focused on HP down there, but up here, I’m used to getting banged up a lot. This is nothing._ Still, they couldn’t afford to be too careless. If they broke something they would either have to try and live with it or finally turn themselves in. When the children’s group home had made plans to close down 8 months ago due to budget issues Frisk had been a little worried at first. But when they realized that they would be able to make it on their own (they had practically raised themselves in the home), they decided to leave quietly. There was so much fuss going on, no one noticed that the longest resident had slipped away.

Wandering into town, they quickly went to the nearest dumpster outside a fast food place. It had been emptied recently but they still found 2 half-eaten burgers and some nuggets, along with some wilted lettuce. Deciding it was enough to last them for a day or two, they returned to their “home.” Luckily they had eaten fairly well underground, so they shouldn’t even get too hungry tomorrow and could save most of the food for the day after. That would give them 2 days to figure out how to get around without being noticed. But first, it was time to sleep. Frisk crawled onto the holey towel they used as a bed with pine straw under it for cushioning, and pulled their thin, worn blanket on top. They would have to find another soon before it got even colder. The mountain kept a lot of the cool winds away, and sheltered under the bridge they had a pocket of warmer air, but that wouldn’t be enough once winter actually arrived. They made a plan to go find to hotel dumpster before the sun rose so that no one would see them digging in there. There should be at least another towel or blanket with holes by now. They could retrieve it and get back to the bridge before the monsters made it down the mountain and met with the humans.


	2. Could It Be Them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided I was too excited to wait and that I know I personally prefer it when I have more than the first chapter to look at.

\------------2 months later -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Winter had hit with a vengeance and Frisk was glad they had found the extra blanket when they did. It had a stain on it which they were sure was why the hotel had tossed it away but it was nice and cozy still. They were still very cold at night and sometimes made themselves stay awake and active at night to keep warm, but they were surviving. They had even managed to hide from all of their friends, although they thought they had seen Undyne and Alphys outside a bookstore at some point and there had been several articles in the newspaper about THE GREAT AMBASSADOR PAPYRUS and another about the school Toriel had opened. Asgore had apparently bought the building for her and had spent three weeks fixing it up and making it look nice. In the picture it showed the two of them together putting the finishing touches on the sign. Frisk hoped it helped mend their friendship, spending all that time working together. _These guys work fast, something like that would have taken the humans a couple of years to decide upon but Toriel managed it within a month! Although I guess the monster kids did need a place to learn and I heard some humans are sending their kids there for a new experience. There is also a zero bullying policy in place there and I bet Undyne is having fun enforcing that. I wish I could visit them but if I do it now they’ll expect me to look better than when I left, and I’m pretty sure I look worse. Even if I wash my clothes I still haven’t gained any weight or grown at all._

  
Frisk frowned, thinking of food. It had been two days since they had last eaten and there was nothing left of their hoarded food or anything from the forest. It was the beginning of December and there had already been a small snow flurry. Nothing had stuck to the ground, but it was enough of a reminder that the winter was going to be tough. They sighed, carefully sliding off the ledge. They had sprained their ankle 3 weeks ago jumping down and it still hadn’t fully healed. They were very careful now not to take unnecessary risks.

  
Sneaking into town had gotten much harder. They preferred to go just before dawn so that most people were still in bed and hopefully no bad people were out on the streets. Even then, they still had to contend with a couple of early morning joggers and the occasional cop car, and sometimes even Papyrus who still liked to patrol, although Frisk wasn’t sure what for anymore. They would usually just see his red cape fluttering in the distance and would immediately go the opposite direction. Unfortunately, since it was so cold at night Frisk had stayed awake and had fallen asleep as soon as light hit the horizon. They had woken up as the sun was going down and they didn’t have a choice but to go right then, or otherwise be too weak to sneak in properly.

  
Carefully staying in the shadows they made their way into town. They had taken to wrapping their old blanket around their stomach underneath their sweater to make it look like they had some extra belly fat and to insulate themselves from the cold a little more. It made moving a little more awkward and they couldn’t run without it falling but hopefully they wouldn’t have to. They decided to go a little further than normal just in case anyone was getting suspicious at the places they normally got food from. Continuing on along the back road they started to smell something good, and vaguely familiar. _If it smells this good, then it must taste great! Although that may mean very little is thrown out. Well, I can always go to the next place if this one is a bust._ They soon found a gap in the fence that led to the alley behind the restaurant. Frisk had thought this place was closed, but with all the new monsters in town a couple new places of business had opened up or expanded to handle the influx. This place must have been one of them. They found the trashbins and saw that the first two were empty. The third, however, held the jackpot. Sitting on top of the garbage was a whole meal, as if someone had ordered it but hadn’t eaten. Frisk couldn’t imagine walking away from anything that smelt like this but decided not to complain. They began eating part of it right away to have more energy so they weren’t bone tired. _Huh, I haven’t made a bone pun since I left the Font brothers. And this food seems so familiar to me, it’s strange._

  
Frisk began to get this sense of foreboding, but the food was so good they couldn’t help but stay and finish it. Just as they were eating the last bite, the back door to the restaurant opened and out stepped… _Grillby! Why didn’t I figure this out sooner! Oh no oh no he sees me I have to run!_ Frisk turned and sprinted out of the alley and managed to get through the fence, not checking to see if Grillby was following. After running a little further their sprained ankle gave out from under them and they fell down. No one was nearby so they quickly hid themselves in a bush to see if someone had followed them. Frisk started hyperventilating from panic. _He saw me, he saw me, why did I make such terrible mistake! I know better than this!_ However, after 10 minutes with no sign of anyone coming Frisk felt reassured and started to limp their way back to their bridge. They wanted to collect more food for later but didn’t like the idea of tempting fate twice in one night, especially now that they couldn’t run.

 

  
Grillby’s POV

  
He had just stepped out to finish tossing out the rest of the garbage from the grand re-opening party. It had taken awhile to secure a place up here and he had stayed in the underground for longer than others to make sure all the hungry monsters would still have a place to eat. Mettaton had stopped in on the way to the new studio, and had brought Flowey with them. Mettaton was good at keeping an eye on the new school mascot and couldn’t be swayed by the flower when they became a bit…murderous. Asgore and Toriel came together, Toriel finally beginning the long process of forgiving Asgore after everything he had done to help the monsters move to the surface and opening her school. He even taught a couple subjects at the school, but by far the favorite was his section on gardening and plants. He ran the school vegetable garden that allowed any student who helped to take home some fresh food. Toriel had loved the idea once she found out that some students didn’t have all that much to eat. Alphys and Undyne were there with all of the Royal Dogs and Grillby was simply glad he had made sure his monster-proof furniture had made the trip. Last but not least, his favorite customer was there. Sans and Papyrus had stayed the longest and had only left a few minutes ago. They had made sure to order an extra plate of food, just in case the human, Frisk, had shown up. Half of the talk that evening was whether anyone had seen Frisk since they had left and if they were doing alright. Toriel was beside herself with worry, of course, but even making inquiries around town had revealed nothing. It was as if the child had vanished.

  
Taking a deep breath, he looked around outside…and spotted something by his trash cans. Wasn’t that the one he put Frisk’s uneaten meal in? It must have attracted something. The figure froze, then quickly ran away. Grillby put up a hand to try and wave at them so they wouldn’t leave, but they were already through the fence. He blinked. Under the light, it looked like a dark haired child wearing a striped shirt with something tucked underneath. Could that have been Frisk? He would have to tell someone that he had a lead of some kind. It wasn’t much, but he knew his friends would be happy to have anything to go on.

 

  
Toriel’s POV

  
She and Asgore had just returned from Grillby’s reopening celebration. She had to admit, it was nice to have someone else do the cooking every once in a while, even though she now had someone else to cook for. Thinking on this, Toriel sighed. She had hoped to cook for Frisk as well and make her famous pie, but no one had seen the human in 2 months. After the first two weeks she had begun to be concerned, but had decided to wait a little longer before searching them out. When a month had passed and none of the monsters, not even Frisk’s little monster friend, had seen the child, she had asked Papyrus to make inquiries using his ambassador status. Unfortunately, since they only had a first name to go by, looking through records was difficult. No one was even sure that this town was Frisk’s. It was possible they were from a different area and had returned to their home. If that was the case, they would simply have to wait.

  
But now it had been two months and there was still no peep of the child. Frisk hadn’t even sent them a letter or called them on the phone. Sure, the battery had been dead, but you could find chargers in stores now for it and contact information for the school had been listed in the news article. When she had asked what it would take to file a missing person’s report for Frisk, she was informed by the police that since no one technically knew that Frisk was missing, they were unable to officially send out a report. It seemed like they were at a deadlock of what to do next.

  
Toriel looked up and saw that Asgore was waiting with the door open for her while she had been thinking. He looked at her and smiled sadly. “You were thinking of Frisk again, weren’t you?”

  
“Of course I am! How could I not? No one seems to know what has happened to that poor child! What if they are lost or hurt? What if they never made it down the mountain? I should have insisted they stay with us overnight that night!” Toriel replied, her voice rising in anger and worry.

  
Asgore walked over and put his giant hands on her shoulders. “Tori, there wasn’t anything you could do. Frisk left too quickly for that. And you know that Undyne and the Royal Dogs have searched that mountain through and through. If Frisk was up there, they would have found them. We can only hope that…”

  
Suddenly Toriel’s phone began ringing. “Excuse me while I take this.” Asgore nodded and went into his separate section of the house. They had been fortunate to find a house that had two separate sections with a shared kitchen and garden. That way Toriel could have her space and wouldn’t have to deal with Asgore all the time. Picking up the phone, she saw an unknown number on the screen. “Hello, this is Toriel. Whom am I speaking to?”

  
“Toriel, this is Grillby. I just saw something kind of strange outside my restaurant.”

 

  
Sans POV

  
Papyrus followed Sans into their new house, loudly making plans of what he would do next in the search for Frisk. Sans was only half listening to his brother’s ranting, instead lost in his own thoughts. He had suspected that things weren’t quite as fine as Frisk made it seem while they were underground, but he hadn’t wanted to pry at the time. Now he wished he had. He knew how tough it must have been to make it all the way to the barrier without harming anyone, and Frisk had not only done that but united the friends. Toriel was even talking to Asgore, and everyone had been convinced that would never happen again. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his name being shouted. “-ANS HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN LISTENING TO ME? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM TRYING TO FIND OUR HUMAN AND YOU ARE STARING OFF INTO SPACE!”

Sans forced a grin on his face and replied “Sorry Pap, guess I’m bone tired. I’ll try not to skele-tune you out anymore.”

“SANS WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MAKING-“ Papyrus had barely begun his normal rant about skele-puns when his cell phone began blasting “ _YOU’RE THE BEST! AROUND! NOTHING’S GONNA EVER KEEP YOU DOWN!”_ Sans took his chance and plopped down on the couch while Papyrus answered his phone.

“Toriel! How nice to hear from you even though we just saw you! Did you miss us alr- what? WHAT DID YOU SAY? SAAAAANNNSSSSS YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS!”

Sans opened his eyes just in time to see Papyrus barreling towards him, his hands busy putting the cell phone on speaker. “OKAY TORIEL SAY IT AGAIN!” Sans heard a commotion in the background and the sound of Asgore speaking loudly to someone.

“Papyrus, Sans, Grillby thinks he just saw Frisk! There was a child outside his restaurant eating out of the garbage bins, wearing a striped sweater! MY POOR CHILD IS EATING GARBAGE!”

Sans’ eyes widened, but he quickly tried to point something out. “Toriel, a lot of kids wear striped clothing. It may not have been Frisk.”

By now Toriel was crying. “I know Sans, I know, but I still plan to find out anyways. Even if it isn’t Frisk, there is still some poor child out there who is hungry enough to eat out of garbage cans.”

Papyrus exclaimed “FEAR NOT, TORIEL, FOR THE FONT BROTHERS ARE TO THE RESCUE! We will start searching the area for Frisk at once and WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP!”

“Thanks, you guys are my favorite verte-bros. I knew I could find car-pals in you.” Sans chuckled while Papyrus grimaced, but neither replied. They knew that Toriel must be feeling a little better with friends helping in order to be making puns again.

Sans spoke up again “Tori, we are going to head back to Grillby’s now to see if the child left any trace behind. Is someone telling Undyne so she can meet us?”

 

  
Undyne POV

  
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE LITTLE PUNK IS EATING GARBAGE?!” Undyne roared. Alphys cowered next to her on the couch, staring with wide eyes, not even attempting to say something.

Asgore attempted to calm down his former student. “We still don’t know for sure that it was Frisk. Just in case though, would you be willing to go back to Grillby’s and see if any clues were left?”

Undyne replied “Of course Asgore, and when I find that little punk I’m going to teach them a lesson in COMING TO FRIENDS FOR HELP WHEN THEY NEED IT!”

Alphys found the courage to speak and stuttered “Ma…Maybe they jus…just wanted t…to be alone f…for a little w…while.”

Undyne started shouting again “THAT DOESN’T MATTER WHEN YOU ARE EATING GARBAGE!”

Undyne could feel Asgore smiling sadly through the phone. “Yes Undyne, if it does turn out to be Frisk, I think all of us will be having a little talk with them about asking for help when they need it. But in order for that to happen we have to first find them.”

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving right now. I’ll let you know what I find.” Undyne ended the phone call and turned to Alphys. “Hey, it’s kind of cold tonight and I know you have trouble staying warm, so why don’t you stay here and I’ll message you if there is an update.”

Alphys smiled and nodded, understanding that Undyne’s protective instincts were flaring up and it was best just to go with it. “Maybe you should, um, call the royal dogs?”

“You come up with the best ideas babe, that’s why I love you.” Undyne planted a kiss on Alphys’ forehead. “I’ll call Dogamy and Dogaressa. I know they miss Frisk too and would be willing to come out this late and lend their noses.” Undyne turned and practically ran out the front door, barely remembering to grab her coat on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Do you want more?
> 
> "You're the Best" was written by Bill Conti and Allee Willis


	3. The Truth Comes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, all I have to say is WOW! I don't know what kind of response I was expecting, but it has definitely been surpassed. Thank you! I'm not even telling a fib-ula, but the kind words and everything else filled me with determination to write far enough ahead (and bother my friends enough to check my work over), that I'm releasing this third chapter faster than I thought I would.
> 
> So buckle up, me hearties, the angst ship is sailing out of port. (Sorry, couldn't resist. I promise this fic will not be terribly angst filled.)
> 
> Minor updates made- I correct the pronoun usage for Napstablook and Mettaton.

Frisk’s POV

  
Frisk finally made it back to their bridge. They had spent the entire way back looking over their shoulder and hiding anytime they saw anyone in the distance. _How can I have been so stupid to get caught like that? I hope that Grillby didn’t get a good look at me, I tried to get out of there as fast as I can._ Frisk grimaced. _Besides, it isn’t like I’m all that recognizable right now anyways since I look so bad. But what if he did figure out it was me and decided to tell them? I don’t want anyone like that in my life, I have enough to worry about without thinking I’m going to disappoint someone. Although, there are times…no._

Frisk started to repeat the mantra they had created when they left the group home. “I don’t need anyone and they don’t need me. I’m better off without them and they are better off without me. If there is no one else around, there is no one to disappoint, anger, or be hurt by.” _There’s no one to love, laugh with, or get help from either._ “STOP IT! I don’t need anyone and THEY ESPECIALLY DON’T NEED ME!” Frisk sobbed out, curling up under their blankets. Eventually they drifted off to sleep, tear tracks still fresh on their face.

 

  
Sans’ POV

  
Sans and Papyrus beat Undyne back to the restaurant thanks to a “shortcut” that Sans knew and started searching the immediate area around the place. Within 10 minutes they had come to the conclusion that whoever had been there was long gone. Sans even checked the gap in the fence to see if a bit of their clothing had been caught but there was nothing. Looking up, he saw Undyne approaching with Dogamy and Dogaressa and grinned. _Maybe those two can pick up a scent._ He then realized that Papyrus hadn’t even noticed the new arrivals and was still running all over the place, shouting in worry. “-AT IF IT IS FRISK AND THEY NEVER COME BACK HERE AND DECIDE TO LEAVE TOWN WITHOUT SAYING GOOD-“

Sans had managed to cut Papyrus off by pulling him into a hug, not wanting to hear the end of that last word. “Pap, it will be okay. Undyne is here with Dogamy and Dogaressa and they should be able to tell us if it was Frisk or not. You’ll wear yourself down to the bone if you keep running around like this.”

Papyrus sniffed “Of course you are right, dear brother, but I can’t help but be frantic.”

Once Sans pointed out the trashcan and fence gap to Dogamy and Dogaressa, they each picked a spot and started sniffing around. They then started walking around in circles with increasing radius. Undyne muttered “This is taking longer than normal to pick up the scent. Normally they would have figured out a direction by now, or at least could tell us if it is Frisk or not.”

They watched as the two sniffed around some more, then come and start conversing quietly with each other. After a couple seconds they approached the trio. “Well, it was really hard to tell, but we believe it was indeed Frisk here earlier” Dogamy said. Undyne immediately started cursing and Papyrus wailed out nonsense. Sans’ stomach just dropped. He had been hoping that it wasn’t true, that their kiddo wasn’t here all along and eating garbage to get by.

Dogaressa let out a sharp bark. All noise stopped as the three looked back at the two royal dogs. “We weren’t able to pick up a scent. The reason it took us so long is that Frisk’s normal scent, or at least the one we smelled on them in the Underground, is masked by a lot of other smells. Right now, they mainly smell of dirt, plants, and garbage. There is a lot of outdoor smell on them in general, which is probably why we can’t find out where they went.”

Dogamy jumped in “However, we think that this does give us a clue to where they’ve been. In order to smell so much like the outdoors that we can’t distinguish between the two, they must have been living outside for quite some time…possibly even since they left.”

Papyrus let out a shriek so loud that Dogamy and Dogaressa had to cover their ears. “FRIIIIIISK!!!! WHYYYYYYYYY? YOU COULD HAVE STAYED WITH SANS AND MYSELF! I WOULD HAVE MADE YOU SPAGHETTI AND SANS WOULD HAVE PICKED UP HIS SOCKS!”

Undyne clamped her hand over Papyrus’ mouth. “PAPYRUS WE ARE ALL UPSET BUT YOU’RE GOING TO WAKE UP THE WHOLE TOWN!”

Papyrus pouted “I WILL SHOUT AS LOUD AS I NEED TO SO THAT OUR HUMAN MIGHT HEAR ME AND COME BACK!”

The corners of Sans’ mouth quirked up. “Pap, if they ran away from Grillby, they may not want to come to us. I bet you would be able to make your voice heard all over town, but right now that might just scare them away.”

Papyrus looked mortified. “I hadn’t thought of that! I will attempt to speak softer so that I don’t scare them away.” Sans smiled at Papyrus’ attempt at a whisper, which in reality was more of a normal speaking level for anyone else.

  
Undyne turned back to Dogamy and Dogaressa. “Thanks again for your help. I know you guys are busy doing your work for the police force, but if you happen to pick up Frisk’s scent again will you tell us?” The two nodded and left. She looked back at the two brothers and said “Come by my place tomorrow so we can figure out how we are going to search for that little punk and bring them home. We should invite Toriel and Asgore too. ” She stopped talking for a couple seconds. “Who is going to tell Toriel?”

Sans volunteered himself before Papyrus could do it. “I’ll talk to Tori, I’ll head over right away.”

Undyne gave a nod then left as well, muttering under her breath. Sans wasn’t sure what all was said, but he distinctly made out “Besties” and “kill them.”

He tightened his jaw. Yes, they would all be having a nice long chat with Frisk, but first they had to figure out why they were living like this. He decided all that would be better saved for the meeting tomorrow and glanced up at Papyrus. His brother was completely silent for once, utterly heartbroken with the new information. Sans’ hated to see his brother so down, it wasn’t natural. “Papyrus, I’m going to go tell Toriel and Asgore right away, but I’m kind of hungry after all that searching. Do you think you could make some spaghetti for when I get back? I won’t be gone long.”

Papyrus immediately brightened. “OF COURSE SANS, I WILL MAKE SOME RIGHT AWAY!” He hurried off back to their house. Sans sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to what he had to do next.

*A very short time later*

“Toriel, Asgore, I’ve got some news for you. You might want to sit down…”

 

Blook POV

  
Blook had just arrived at Mettaton’s house, which had taken longer than the 10 feet between their doors would suggest. They had to first make sure that their cousin was home, and that their cousin would like to see them, and that they weren’t going to interrupt anything, and was Metta sure that Blook was okay to come over because they understood if they weren’t wanted right then. Blook stood outside the door, gathering courage to knock. _I really hope I’m not bothering him, he is so important and everyone loves him. I’m not important at all, but he makes time for me. I hope he isn’t sacrificing anything to hang out with me. But Metta is usually pretty talkative so maybe he would tell me if I became a burden._ With that last slightly less depressing thought, Blook knocked on Mettaton’s door and heard a distinct “Come in, Darling!” ring out.

Blook entered the house to find Mettaton perfectly posed on the couch. “Blooky! Cousin! How absolutely marvelous to see you! Do you know that I was thinking about you earlier today while on the set of my show? Of course we weren’t filming right then, nothing will distract me from giving the best performance I can for all my fans, but…” Blook patiently listened while their cousin began the daily ramble, or “monologue” as Metta called it. They made sure to pay attention to every word he said. It was the least they could do since he put up with them all the time. “-and then I got a STANDING OVATION! Which isn’t surprising of course, but still, I became a little misty-eyed right-“

“ _I’m nerdy in the extreme, whiter than sour cream. I was in A/V club, and glee club, and even on the chess team. The only question I ever thought was hard was ‘Do I like Kirk, or do I like Pic-_ “

Mettaton shot up. “Oh, Alphys must be calling, I wonder what she wants? Blooky, do you mind if I take this?” 

Blook shook their head. _I didn’t realize Mettaton listened to Weird Al. Does that make me a terrible friend?_ But before their thoughts could tumble down this slope, Blook heard a scream from Mettaton.

“MY PRECIOUS CHILD IS HOMELESS AND EATING GARBAGE?! MY POOR, DARLING FRISK, IF I HAD BUT KNOWN OF WHAT WOULD AWAIT THEM ON THE SURFACE I WOULD HAVE SWEPT THE DEAR TYKE OFF THEIR FEET AND TAKEN CARE OF THEM! THEY WOULD HAVE WANTED FOR NAUGHT IN THEIR LIFE! ALL OF THE FINEST THINGS WOULD BE THEIRS AND RIGHTFULLY SO! OH, WOE TIDINGS HAVE YOU CALLED US WITH ALPHYS!”

Apparently Alphys had managed (somehow) to get Mettaton’s attention again as the robot stopped talking for another minute. “OF COURSE I WILL COME TO YOUR MEETING TOMORROW! WE MUST FIND THAT BEAUTIFULLY SPIRITED CHILD IMMEDIATELY! TO THINK THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SUFFERING ALL THIS TIME, IT MAKES MY CIRCUITS FRIZZ! I WILL SEE YOU FIRST THING IN THE MORNING!” Mettaton hung up the phone and turned back to his cousin.

“OH BLOOKY, ISN’T IT JUST HORRIBLE? THEY FOUND OUT THAT POOR FRISK WAS EATING GARBAGE AND WHEN UNDYNE WENT TO LOOK FOR THEM THEY HAD RUN OFF! HOW COULD MY PRECIOUS BABY NOT SAY ANYTHING OF THIS TO ME? THEY ARE FAR TOO INNOCENT TO BE RUNNING AROUND BY THEMSELVES UP HERE, IT ISN’T LIKE UNDERGROUND WHERE FRISK GAVE MERCY TO ALL! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM BEFORE WE ARE ABLE TO FIND THE DARLING? IT’S SO COLD OUT AND HUMANS NEED PROTECTION FROM THE COLD!”

Blook floated a moment longer, than lay on the ground in anguish. They remembered when Frisk had done this with them before, not even minding where they were lying just so they could be with their ghost friend. _I hope they find Frisk soon, that child doesn’t deserve to be homeless. What if it was something I did that drove them off? What if they decided that they didn’t want to be around someone like me so they decided being homeless was better? What if-_

“Blooky? Blooky look at me.” Blook glanced up at Mettaton, pausing their quick fall into a pit of despair. “Blooky, I know that look on your face. You’re blaming yourself again. This isn’t your fault dearest cousin. You didn’t drive Frisk off; they left on their own choice. Please do not think that you are the reason they left us. Come up here on the couch, darling, and sit with me. We’ll watch the old videos of Frisk that I took from Alphys’ lab and think of ways to get them back.” Blook got up immediately, not wanting to upset Mettaton anymore.

_Metta is so nice to me and everyone else. Why did you run away from that, Frisk?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates will come as I am able to bust them out. I don't plan on leaving anyone hanging for too long. As always, please let me know if something is misspelled or unclear, or if you just want to rant a little that is cool too. 
> 
> Ringtone: "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al Yankovic


	4. Close Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't expecting to be able to give you guys another chapter for a couple of days, but somehow I have 3 chapters completed, two of which are still being checked over. Thank you to all you have left kudos and comments. I don't reply to every single one of them but I do read them all.  
> On to the fic! Just, uh, keep in mind the saying "Things get worse before they get better."
> 
> It's still better than it being updogg.
> 
>  
> 
> Gotcha :D

Frisk’s POV

  
It had been 3 days since that night that they had almost been caught, and Frisk couldn’t put off venturing out for more food any further. They had stretched it as it is, and barely had any energy at all. _If I keep going at this rate I’m not going to last much longer. Well, I guess at least that way I wouldn’t have to worry about them taking care of me anymore. Although I had hoped to go see them once I got old enough. That way they could see that I was fine taking care of myself and no one would have to care._ Frisk slowly blinked their eyes at that. _Not that I am currently doing such a good job of that. This was so much easier before I fell down inside the mountain. At least hiding out gave my ankle time to rest. I barely feel it anymore_.

Frisk stretched quickly under the bridge and then crouched down, looking in the direction of town. _Good, no one seems to be out and about this early._ It wasn’t even quite sunrise yet, which kept the temperature at a bitter 28 degrees, but Frisk couldn’t worry about that. Food would help, hopefully. They walked quickly into town, shivering violently. _I can’t wait to get back out of the wind and under that other blanket. Bringing my food storage container on these trips will let me carry back more food so I don’t have to do this as often._ Pausing near the edge of town, they debated about which direction to go in. _I need to avoid Grillby’s but that is clear on the other side of town. I think I’ll take the west route today. That won’t put me anywhere near the school or Grillby’s. I wish I knew where everyone lived so that I could avoid those places as well._

  
Frisk stumbled along, the lack of food and cold making it difficult for them to stay upright. They finally reached their first stop and looked in the bin. _Oh no it’s empty! Did I mistake trash day? I really hope the next one has at least a little something in it._ They continued on to the next 2 places and found that they were also completely empty. Frisk glanced around in despair, but just as they were about to give up they saw another bin a couple blocks down the alley, and it looked like it hadn’t been visited yet. _Maybe that one is on a different route. If not, I might have to risk staying out longer to find something._ Arriving at the dumpster, Frisk was relieved to find that it hadn’t been emptied yet. They started to dig through, eating a bit here or there but squishing most of what they found in their storage container. They became so engrossed in their task, they didn’t even notice the sun rising. Once their container was full, they began pulling themselves back out of the dumpster. They were having some issues getting themselves over and were hanging with a leg and arm looped over the side when they heard a shout.

“Human, worry not, for I, the great Papyrus, will assist you! Err, just as soon as I figure out how to get over this fence to you.”

  
Frisk froze, then began to struggle more violently. The extra adrenaline helped them boost themselves over and they fell out of the dumpster.

“Human! Are you injured? You should have waited…FRISK? FRISK IS THAT YOU? WAIT FOR ME FRISK I WILL BE THERE VERY SOON!”

Frisk took off down the alley, not stopping to heed Papyrus shouting behind them.

“FRISK, PLEASE WAIT FOR ME! COME BACK! I’LL MAKE YOU MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI!”

Frisk ran on, glad that they had finished collecting food before Papyrus found them. _Okay, think Think THINK! I need to throw him off my trail before he catches up to me or finds my hideout. I wish I could go back with him, but it is for their own good. They don’t need to have someone like me around._ Frisk made a couple of more turns, glancing behind them. Papyrus had made it over the fence and had started to catch up. At the next turn, Frisk dove behind a some pallets leaning against a wall and curled up, making themselves look smaller. A couple of seconds later they watched as Papyrus ran by, still shouting.

“FRISK? FRISK WHERE DID YOU GO? IF YOU WANTED TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WE COULD GO TO OUR HOUSE AND DO IT INSIDE WHERE IT IS WARMER!”

  
Frisk waited a couple of extra minutes until they were sure that Papyrus was completely out of sight and then backtracked a bit, just in case. Finally they felt safe enough to head back to their bridge. They climbed up and pulled their blankets around themselves, shivering. _That was really close. I guess Papyrus decided to do his morning patrols again, although for what I’m not sure. Maybe it is to find people who need help or…_ Frisk bolted upright. _Or maybe it is to find the human friend they made while in the Underground._ Frisk buried their head in their hands. _If he is searching, then I’m sure the rest of them are as well. It’s only a matter of time before I have to leave this area completely to make sure they don’t find me. I’ll need to collect some supplies before that happens though. According to the newspapers I saw earlier it almost two weeks until Christmas and 3 until New Year’s. I’ll wait until after all the parties occur and people throw out their old things. On January 2nd I’ll start my journey to the next town. By then I should have found enough supplies to make it._

Frisk grimaced. In less than a month, they would be leaving the only place they had ever known. Going back underground wouldn’t work now, so it would have to be a human town. Frisk would see if they could find a map as well. If not, they would follow the river downstream away from the mountain. Frisk pulled their blanket tighter around them. _I have enough food to last for several days. I’ll make a supply run soon, and this time I’ll make sure to do it when no one is up._

 

  
Papyrus’ POV

  
Papyrus had woken up early that morning, continuing his tradition from the Underground. Originally during these morning hours he would do a simple walk around, maybe clean up some trash, and then start on breakfast. However, at their meeting he had agreed to start looking around town to see if they could find Frisk or at least some possible hiding spots. He even set his alarm clock a half hour earlier than normal to make sure he would have plenty of time to search. The past couple of days hadn’t revealed anything, but Papyrus was confident that he would find Frisk. _After all, I found them the first time underground! I can find them again, for I, the great Papyrus, will never give up!_

  
Turning down another street, he checked the time and realized he needed to return home. Heaving a sigh, he glanced around and spotted a leg and an arm sticking out of a dumpster on the other side of the fence in an alleyway. “Human, worry not, for I, the great Papyrus, will assist you! Err, just as soon as I figure out how to get over this fence to you.” Papyrus looked around at the fence. He didn’t see any other option but to try and climb it. As he was about to start, he realized the human had been struggling very hard and had finally fallen out of the dumpster. “Human! Are you injured? You should have waited…FRISK? FRISK IS THAT YOU? WAIT FOR ME FRISK I WILL BE THERE VERY SOON!”

  
Papyrus started to immediately climb over, not caring if anything got caught or torn along the way. _IT’S FRISK! IT REALLY IS FRISK! THEY ARE HERE IN TOWN! THEY ARE EATING…GARBAGE AGAIN! OH NO, MY POOR FRISK, YOU SHOULDN’T BE EATING THAT! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY FROM ME? I WILL HELP YOU FRISK! MAYBE THEY ARE IN TROUBLE!_ Papyrus managed to get over the fence and went after Frisk, calling out to them as he ran. He kept them in sight mostly, but then they turned a corner and…disappeared.

Papyrus ran on a little longer, hoping to catch sight of his dear friend. After a couple minutes however, Papyrus was forced to admit…not defeat. “A setback! It is only a setback!” Passing back the way he came, he noticed that the pallets that had been leaning against the wall looked a little askew and crouched down. _It’s the perfect size for them. OH FRISK, WHY DID YOU HIDE? WE WEREN’T PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK OR EVEN TAG!_ Papyrus fell to his knees, disheartened. He stayed there, quietly sniffling and holding back tears until he heard his phone ringing.

“ _Today I don’t feel like doing anything, I just wanna lay in my bed_.”

_Must be Sans calling. I hope something isn’t wrong._ Picking up his phone he answered dully “Hello.”

  
Sans must have realized from his tone that something was up. “Pap, what is wrong? You are normally back from your walk by now. Is something wrong? Where are you?”

  
“I don’t know where I am at. I was chasing Frisk and…they ran away from me. OH SANS IT WAS HORRIBLE, THEY LOOKED SO THIN AND WEAK! I’M NOT EVEN SURE HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO RUN AT ALL! SANS, WHY DOES FRISK KEEP RUNNING AWAY FROM US?”

Sans started making consoling sounds over the phone. “Hey Pap, it’s okay, we’ll figure it out. Can you tell me anything about where you are at so I can come pick you up?”

Glancing around, Papyrus noticed a street sign and told Sans. Quicker than he thought possible, Sans was calling out his name from nearby. Papyrus pulled himself to his feet and left the alleyway. “Pap, there you are! Whoa buddy, it is going to be alright. Don’t beat yourself up there, you did the best you could. You always do.”

Papyrus cheered up a little at that. _Yes, I did my best, and next time I’ll do even better!_

  
Sans grabbed his arm. “Come on, I’m starving and I know you haven’t eaten yet. We’ll go to Grillby’s and call everyone from there on the cell bone. That way Undyne can mark this place on our map and we can be sure to check the nearby areas more. We’ll find them Pap, don’t you worry.” Papyrus smiled down at his brother, ignoring the terrible pun.

_Sans is right! I can’t be discouraged yet, Frisk still needs me! DON’T WORRY FRISK, I’M COMING!_

 

  
Frisk’s POV

  
Frisk curled up tighter under their blanket, barely even shivering anymore. Almost a week had passed since they had nearly been caught by Papyrus, and every day they had wished, just a little, that they hadn’t been successful in their hiding. That they had been found. That they were out of the cold and wet, and had something to eat. But each time, Frisk scolded themselves. It wasn’t their place to impose on people like that, even the ones that called themselves friends. _Besides, they would just get tired of me in the end. I drive everyone away, even my own parents. This time I want to leave before that happens again._

  
A gust of wind swept under the bridge, and some tendrils sneaked their way up to their ledge and blew through the blanket. Their body barely reacted and Frisk, while somewhat out of it at this point, saw that as cause for alarm. _I’m not going to make it through the night. I’ll die a Frisk-icle and they’ll find me in the spring when my frozen body thaws._ Frisk started a little at that thought. They didn’t want their friends to go through that either, it would probably make them even sadder than finding out that their human was a homeless orphan. _But where can I go to get warmer…I know! There is a home improvement store nearby. It is a bit of a walk but they have those outdoor sheds that I stayed in for a couple days when I first became homeless. I stopped going back after finding this place since I was pretty sure people would find me in there. I’ll go back just for tonight, they will still be cold but I remember that some of them are actually insulated and won’t be quite as bad._

  
Frisk barely managed to keep their feet on the ground. The wind was howling around them and snow was coming down slowly, each flake being tossed carelessly to the ground. _Doesn’t look like there will be much snow at least, although if there was I could build a snow fort and warm up a little. I wonder if all the snow reminds the font bros of Snowd- DON’T FINISH THIS SENTENCE. IT WON’T DO YOU ANY GOOD TO THINK ABOUT THEM and how they would have pulled you into their arms and wrapped – STOP! THIS DOESN’T HELP. Just don’t think about them anymore, there is almost enough supplies ready to leave. Soon I’ll be traveling away from here and then no one will be forced to worry about me ever again._

  
Wrapping both of their blankets and the old towel around them, they made their way through the woods and down the road to the edge of town that the store was located on. The sheds were located near the store entrance up against the outer wall. _At least that keeps the wind off of them for the most part._ They knocked on the walls of a couple and realized they weren’t the insulated version, but halfway down Frisk found the perfect one. Looking at the tag, they snorted. _So this is actually a dog house and not a shed. Well, that explains why it looks more my size. I guess tonight I’ll be called “Frisk-y.”_ Laughing a little at their own joke they crawled through the dog door and tied the door flap down so it wouldn’t open for the breeze that was still rippling down the walkway outside. Curling up in their blankets, they finally began to shiver again and stayed that way for a couple hours before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reading that you deserve to laugh at something.
> 
> Why did the skeleton cross the road? To go to the body shop.
> 
> Whoops, I guess I just made you all cry a little more instead.
> 
> Ringtone: "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars


	5. Caught By The Wind (Chimes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is hard to believe that I posted the first chapter almost exactly a week ago. I am having so much fun with this fic. I wish I was able to get updates out quicker but school comes first. I am going to continue doing my best to make sure updates come at least once a week, if not twice.

Asgore’s POV

  
Asgore stopped his truck in from of the home improvement store and sighed. He was here to talk to the customer service representatives about what would work well for gardens on the surface. The plan was to create another flower garden come spring so that he would have something more to occupy his time. But lately, his heart hadn’t been in it. _If only we could find Frisk, then everyone would be happier, including me. I did not even get a chance to share a cup of tea in the castle gardens with them before they left. I drank tea with everyone down in the Underground, it was my way of getting to know my subjects. Then this child came and rescued us all, and most of what I know about them is from the others and what I gleaned during our “battle.” Frisk, you are one of the most merciful humans we have ever met. Why won’t you let us show a little mercy to you? Why won’t you show a little mercy to yourself?_

  
Exiting his truck he shivered and pulled his jacket closed. _On the plus side having fur does help, but it is still far too cold to stay out like this. I hope Frisk has found someplace warm to stay. Humans get cold so easily and from what Papyrus saw they were far too thin._

Asgore smiled at that. Ever since Toriel had found out what condition Frisk was in, she had stocked up on so much food that Asgore was sure she could feed all of Monster-dom and still have leftovers. Every night the amount of food Toriel cooked increased, just in case that was the night that Frisk was found. She had even taken to pulling out a second place setting and putting it at the table, hoping that soon she could fill it. There was one night at the weekly group dinner where she had forgotten and Asgore had quietly pulled it out for her, neither of them mentioning it. Asgore was pretty sure that if Frisk wasn’t found soon, he was going to lose his battle physique purely from the quality of her cooking, even just eating with her once a week. Not that he was complaining, he hadn’t eaten this well in years. He had enough food in the Underground to be sure, but even his royal chefs were no match for Toriel’s butterscotch and cinnamon pie. It had simply become another thing that he missed about her.

  
Getting closer to the store entrance, Asgore saw a line of sheds and doghouses at the front. _One of those would be nice to keep supplies in, and that way it will free up space inside the house._ He changed directions slightly, intent on examining the sheds to see if they would pass muster. Before he could take another step, however, he saw something crawling out of one of the doghouses about halfway down the row. _Oh no, is that poor pup homeless? Maybe I can catch it and bring it home. Nothing should be left outside in weather like this._

He shifted lower to seem as less of a threat and was just about to call out to the creature when he realized that what he had mistaken for a mangy coat of fur was actually a mangy blanket, wrapped around someone. They were struggling to exit the doghouse with it still wrapped around themselves and had apparently given up on that because they left the blanket behind and pulled themselves out. Asgore gasped. There was no mistaking that sweater, but the individual wearing it had changed. He no longer saw a happy, bright child who cared for everything in its path. Instead he saw someone who looked so broken down that he was surprised that they didn’t just collapse right there on the walkway.

  
Remembering what had happened with Grillby and Papyrus, Asgore slowly began to creep towards Frisk. He didn’t really want to sneak up on the poor child, but there didn’t seem to be any other way. He could not, would not leave them like this. Suddenly, Frisk began coughing. They had been pulling the rest of their blankets outside of the doghouse and apparently even that little bit of effort exhausted them. Asgore started to move closer quickly. Frisk hadn’t stopped coughing yet and he was very concerned. Unfortunately, he forgot that there were plenty of things on the surface that made noise, one of these being wind chimes. He smacked his head into a set that were hanging on a gardening shed, the chimes falling onto his horns and swinging from them, stuck in place.

  
Frisk froze and turned in a flash. Seeing this, Asgore tried to speak to them and convince them not to run. “My child, it is good to see you! Everyone has been so worried about you.” Apparently this might have been the wrong thing to say, because their eyes grew larger and they hesitantly took a couple of steps backwards. “Please don’t run again Frisk. Everyone just wants to see you and make sure you are doing okay. We know that you have had some struggles since returning to the surface but we want to help you. Please, come here so that I may take you home with me.”

But even as he was finishing this sentence, Frisk was backing off further. They broke into a run when he tried to take another step, and without a thought he did the same, the chimes clanging against themselves in his horns. _I know that this might scare them right now, but I am very worried about that cough! If Frisk doesn’t get taken care of soon, they may not last much longer._ Asgore’s eyes began blurring a little with tears but still he was gaining on the child until…he wasn’t. _Where did they go? Papyrus said they hid from him as well._

He had arrived at the edge of a forest and Frisk had seemed to just disappear. Asgore pulled out his phone and called Undyne to come help, then began searching, interrupted only by a call from Papyrus. By the time she had showed up with the rest of the gang at her back, Asgore had given up. This particular forest was very large and there were so many hiding spaces for a small thing like Frisk. As Toriel sat him down and scolded him gently for getting the wind chimes so completely tangled, he thought back a little on his encounter. _Child, wherever you are, I hope you think about my words and come find us soon. We will wait for you, always._

 

  
Frisk’s POV

  
Frisk glance over the supplies they had managed to gather. _Let’s see, I’ll pack my towel and blankets last. There is the map of this area that is 5 years old but will get me through part of my journey south. Although I guess that depends on where I decide to settle. I will figure that part out later. What else do I have? Oh an old worn down flashlight that the batteries barely work on, but it will be enough for emergencies. And the beaten up back pack with a broken strap, but I fixed that with the discarded twine wrappings from the home improvement store._

The home improvement store which had become another place they couldn’t return to. The place at which they had been so tempted by Asgore’s kind words and sincerity, to the point that when they had escaped into the trees, they had climbed one instead of heading home just to see their friends one last time. They had watched Asgore search and talk to Undyne and overheard that the others were coming. Frisk debated heading back but this was most likely their last chance to see any of them. There had been a couple of close calls, like when a bird had taken off while Frisk had climbed the tree. They also had barely been able to stifle their giggles when Asgore had received a call from Papyrus. The whispers of the wind in the trees had been interrupted with _“ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI ALL COVERED WITH CHEESE, I LOST MY POOR MEATBALL WHEN SOMEBODY SNEEZED_.”

The following conversation hadn’t been any quieter, especially when Papyrus had begun shouting something setting up one of his human traps from the Underground. Apparently Papyrus thought that if he left enough puzzles out they would get caught in one and would be stuck until Papyrus checked the trap. Even when Asgore asked what would happen if they just avoided the puzzle, Papyrus maintained that their human liked puzzles far too much to avoid one, especially one as clever as Papyrus’. Asgore had to spend the entire time it took for the others to arrive to explain why that was a bad idea , focusing mostly on the fact that leaving their human exposed to the cold while stuck would be very harmful while they were in as bad of shape as they were. He managed to continue his search all the while he talked to Papyrus, the wind chimes still caught in his horns. Frisk had been tempted to crawl down the tree when they had seen everyone gathered soon after. It had been worth getting almost caught to know that their friends did care, at least a little.

_But I will not stick around ever again!_ Frisk told themselves fiercely. _It won’t do any good to hang around and wait to be caught. I don’t know that I can wait all the way until after New Year’s Eve. I might have to leave sometime between then and Christmas._

  
Frisk pressed their back against the wall, giving a quiet cough. The temperature had warmed slightly for now and while they still were coughing, it wasn’t as bad as it had been. They leaned their head back and asked themselves what was possibly the toughest question to answer. _Why do I keep running away?_

  
_I guess…I guess I’m just not used to this. People wanting to be friends. No one was my friend before. There were the other kids at the group home but most of them got adopted or went back to their own families before we could be friends, and the adults weren’t clamoring over themselves to take me. If no one before wanted to be my friend, there must be something wrong with me. I don’t want that wrong thing to scare away my new friends. If I leave, then I can remember that I had them in the first place before I mess it all up and make them want to leave me. I mean, I KNOW I am a great person, and that I do a lot of good things, but from what I can tell not everyone thinks that. I don’t want to force someone into being associated with me if they don’t want to. And even though my friends seem to think they want to be around me, it will be better for them if I leave. That way they can make friends with the other humans and I won’t be around to scare everyone away._

  
_And besides, even if I do go back, it isn’t like I would be able to stay with them anyways. Maybe they could figure out a way for me to stay as a diplomat but I don’t want to make them do anything more for me. I am still considered a ward and I don’t really have much control over where I go. If I go back to them, they will be forced to turn me over to the government and I might not see them until I am an adult anyways. I am better off staying out of that system._

  
After that pep talk, Frisk opened their eyes and sat up, filled with determination. They were going to head out again tonight and get some of their last bits of supplies. That way as soon as they found all the food and any extra clothing they happened upon after Christmas, they could leave town. Their new friends would be safe from their presence. _I’m not going to be a burden on anyone! And maybe one day when I’m 18, I can come back and see them again. Since I will be an adult no one will be forced to take care of me. And…and if no one wants to be around me because I left them, then that is okay too because at least I got to be friends with them once._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you hate me? I kind of hate me. 
> 
> "On Top Of Spaghetti" is best known by Tom Glazer


	6. DATE! START!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who has left comments and kudos! I can't pa-tell-a lie, it tickles my funny bone to see it all.

Undyne’s POV

  
Undyne punched the pole as hard as she could with the staple gun, trapping the slip of paper placed there. “Umm, Undyne? I, er, don’t think th…that you need to be, um, that forceful with the staple gun. I think it o…only needs a lit…tle pressure.”

Undyne grunted. “I’m punching because I’m ANGRY! WHY CAN’T I FIND THAT LITTLE PUNK! I HAVE NEVER LOST A CHALLENGE!” Undyne’s shoulders drooped, dispirited. “Or at least I have never lost one until it came to them.”

Alphys placed her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. “Undyne, we will find them. No one can, er, hide from you forever?”

  
Undyne wrapped herself around Alphys, almost covering the smaller monster entirely. “You’re right babe, I know. I just can’t help but feel like I’m not doing enough. At least you had the great idea of making posters.”

Alphys giggled “Well, it was either that or you sitting on Papyrus until he calmed down and I didn’t want to give up my, um, girlfriend for that long.”

Undyne snorted. After Asgore had their encounter with Frisk, Papyrus had spent a day running around town and picking up any small child who was wearing a striped sweater. After a couple of complaints had come in Undyne had tracked the distraught skeleton down and brought him back to Toriel’s place, where it was explained gently but firmly that while his efforts were appreciated, he was scaring all the humans and not holding up his ambassadorial image. Papyrus had remained resistant until Alphys had spoken up with the idea of posting “Have You Seen This Child” flyers all over town. They had given the largest stack to him to distribute, and Sans had promised he would make sure to keep Papyrus busy enough so that he wouldn’t start to chase kids around again. _Although I’m pretty sure that was Papyrus at the playground we passed earlier, but this time it looks like he was playing with the kids instead. Maybe that is Sans’ plan to wear his brother out. Besides, kids open up to Papyrus so if they have seen anything, they might tell him._

  
Keeping an arm on Alphys’ shoulder, Undyne walked them down to the next spot. “This is the last flyer, right?” Alphys gave a nod as she handed it over, then shivered a little. “Aw babe, you are cold. Here, take my scarf, it will keep you a little warmer until we can get to the restaurant for our date.” Undyne watched her girlfriend smile shyly as she took the proffered item and wrapped it around her face and neck.

_My girlfriend is the greatest, she doesn’t intimidate anyone so I do it for her. Frisk, how could you be scared to come to someone like her?_

  
Undyne’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a much more flamboyant individual. “ _Ooh, there ain’t no other way, baby, I was born this way. I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way. Don’t be a drag, just be a queen._ ”

Alphys stammered “Oops, that is Mettaton, I should, um, pick it up?”

Undyne gritted her teeth. As soon as this conversation was done, she could whisk Alphys off on their epic date. Undyne checked the flyer one last time, catching a glimpse of the mistletoe hanging from the light above them. She glanced around, spotting a van for a tv station against the curb across the street. _Isn’t that the one that Mettaton works for? Why are the windows open?_

  
Alphys apologized again and answered the phone, immediately holding it away from her face. “DARLINGS! I just wanted to call and see how putting up those flyers was going! The station doesn’t need me for a live taping tonight, instead they had the MARVELOUS idea to re-show the episode that received the highest ratings. It turned out to be the episode where Frisk and I battled, but ended up connecting far deeper than anyone may ever know. Is there any word about that precious child?”

Alphys managed to get a “No” in before Mettaton continued. “Anways, I came up with the most BRILLIANT plan. During our commercial breaks we are going to show acts of people truly getting into the Christmas spirit. You know, playing in the snow together, sharing a scarf with a lover, or maybe even kissing them under the mistletoe?”

  
Undyne’s face turned a blistering red as she turned back to the television station’s van and saw a glint of something from inside and a steady red light. “I SWEAR ON PAPYRUS’ SPAGHETTI IF YOU ARE FILMING THIS RIGHT NOW…”

Mettaton’s voice cooed over the phone. “JUST KISS ALREADY, IT IS WHAT THE AUDIENCE WANTS! YOU ARE PERFECTLY PLACED UNDER THE MISTLETOE!”

Undyne immediately formed a blue glowing spear in her hand and was prepared to throw it when a hand was placed on her arm. “Undyne? I, uh, don’t think that is such a good idea. I think there are humans with Metta in there.” The van had already started back up and was flying down the street away from the pair. Undyne allowed the spear to dissipate as she looked back at Alphys.

“How did I get lucky enough to have someone as beautiful and smart as you in my life.” Alphys blushed deeply and began muttering, but was unable to get anything intelligible out. Undyne continued. “But if that oversized calculator TRIES TO FILM US KISSING ONE MORE TIME, YOU’RE GOING TO BE BUILDING THEM A NEW BODY.” She looked down at Alphys, expecting to see a form of protest, but instead she was just staring back up at Undyne, looking expectant. “Babe?”

Alphys gulped and muttered “Well, we are under the mistletoe, so I, um, though maybe…” Undyne chuckled and grabbed her lover, sending her into a dip. At the lowest point, Undyne gave Alphys a kiss, then straightened back upright. Alphys was bright red and stuttering with a giant smile on her face.

Undyne pecked her cheek and said “Come on, let’s go eat.”

  
Undyne and Alphys began strolling back towards their car, pausing every once in a while to take in a display. As they approached the car Alphys went to the driver’s side to unlock it as Undyne stamped her feet outside the passenger side door. Early on they had figured out that Undyne had too much potential for road rage after an incident with a Mac truck that left spears in every single tire. Looking down at the lock through the window, Undyne willed it to open even as she still heard her girlfriend shuffling through her purse for her keys. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of someone’s reflection in the glass. Whirling around, Undyne took in the figure of a child in a striped shirt, carefully standing on a couple of boxes beside a dumpster in an alley, pushing the lid up to look inside.

  
Undyne didn’t pause for a second. “YO, PUNK!” The figure jerked upright and fell off the boxes, the light flashing on their face. _Frisk!_

“FRISK! GET OVER HERE YOU LITTLE PUNK BEFORE I BATTLE YOU!” Frisk took off away from Undyne, who cursed and pulled out another spear, running after them. “IS THAT A CHALLENGE? THERE ISN’T A RIVER OF LAVA TO MAKE ME OVERHEAT THIS TIME, YA PUNK!” Undyne took aim with her spear, planning to pin the kid’s sweater to the wall behind them.

“Undyne, WAIT! Their HP! It’s…” Alphys trailed off.

Undyne did a quick check and paled. _What! How are they still going like this? They only have two above Sans right now with none of his magic to protect them. If I hit them on accident, they’ll..._ She dropped the spear and chased after Frisk, who had just swerved around a corner.

“CALL SOMEONE!” Undyne yelled out to Alphys before going around the corner herself.

  
Undyne saw Frisk frantically running along another street full of stores. _Alright, all I have to do is get close enough to start the battle and I can turn their soul green. That way they can’t escape and I can just not attack them on my turn. Alphys is calling someone to help, most likely Sans and Papyrus. If the punk doesn’t want to come with the BESTIE willingly, we’ll have to force them for now. One of those boneheads can turn them blue and make them stay put for a little while. Frisk, why are you pushing us away like this? No one wants to attack you, but if you are trying to make it a challenge, YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT MONSTER!_

  
Undyne put on a burst of speed, catching up with the fleeing child. _Almost…got them..._ focusing on Frisk, she didn’t realize until it was too late where the squirt was heading. Undyne was surprised by the sheer amount of children packed in the toy store she had seen Frisk duck into. _Where could they have got-_

A small hand grabbed hers. “UNDYNE, UNDYNE, REMEMBER ME? YOU WERE A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER FOR P.E.! CAN YOU MILTARY PRESS ME AGAIN?”

Another hand grabbed hers. “UNDYNE, COME OVER HERE AND MEET MY PARENTS! THEY DON’T BELIEVE HOW STRONG YOU ARE!”

Undyne almost found herself rising to the challenge, but she managed to bite down on her normal response and squatted to come face to face with two eager youngsters. “Guys, I can’t play right now, I’m doing top-secret Monster Stuff.” The two children’s eye widened and a jaw dropped. “Can you tell me if you have seen this child? They are a little older than you.” Undyne pulled up an old picture of Frisk on her phone, showing it to the two. Both shook their heads. Undyne sighed. “Well, thanks anyways kids. Go back to your parents, I think they are looking for you.”

The children sped off with a “SEE YA! MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

  
Looking around, she spotted Sans and Papyrus by the entrance and shuffled through the crowd over to them. Keeping her voice low, she muttered “I definitely saw them come in here. Pap, you stand by the door while Sans and I-“

A voice squawked over the store’s intercom “This store is now closing. Please make your final purchases.” Undyne grabbed Sans and pulled him through the crowds. “Come on! This might be our last chance to find the little punk before they disappear again.” They started searching the entire store, making it about halfway through before being told to leave by the employees. Undyne was about to start growling at them, but Sans cut in.

“We think that my…sister’s…child is lost here in the store. Could we search just a little bit longer?” The employees consented and even helped them look briefly, but after a few minutes when all the aisles had been searched the employees insisted they leave.

Sans looked at Undyne. “Maybe Pap has them. You never know.” However, Undyne couldn’t shake this sinking feeling, and her fears were confirmed when she saw Pap was empty-handed.

“Guess they got away again guys. I’ll talk to you later, maybe Alphys and I can still make our reservations at…” Alphys walked up to the door as well, having brought the car around.

She hugged Undyne and said “Maybe we should, um, get some takeout instead a..and watch a movie?”

Undyne gave her a hug back. “That…sounds like a much better idea. Lead the way, girly.” When they had reached the car she yelled over her shoulder to the 2 brothers who were still standing dejectedly in front of the store, looking through the windows. “You guys coming or what?” Papyrus turned around with a slight cheer and Sans managed to pull a smile on his face as they got in the car as well. _We were so close that time. Next time you aren’t getting away from us Frisk, you can be sure of that._

 

  
Frisk’s POV

  
Frisk lay perfectly still in case someone was still around. Above them, they could tell that the store lights were still on. After another couple of minutes all of the lights clicked off and they could hear the sound of people leaving. Frisk heaved a sigh of relief and stood up, scattering balls all around themselves. They moved to the edge of the ball pit and slowly climbed out, debating their options. _It looks like I could leave through the back entrance, although that would probably set off an alarm. But by the time anyone got here I would be long gone. On the other hand, it is nice and warm in here, and I haven’t been able to use a real bathroom in ages! It’s settled, I’m going to stay the night here and sneak out tomorrow morning once the store opens._

  
Frisk walked towards the back of the store, quickly finding the sign for restrooms. Once inside, they gazed around in amazement. _I forgot that bathrooms were this nice! Frisk used the facilities and then began to wash up, reveling in the warm water. I haven’t had an actual bath in ages, too bad there isn’t a tub here. Although this sink is kind of big…_ Frisk glanced nervously at the door. _No one is going to come in, it is safe. Besides, if I am clean it will be easier to blend in tomorrow._

Frisk quickly undressed and filled one sink with warm water. They sat down in it and cleaned their body off, refilling the sink 3 times until they were as clean as they would get from hand soap. Then they leaned their head over into the next sink and washed their hair, releasing all of the dirt and grime (and the occasional leaf) that was caught in it. The only sound they made was from dumping the water on themselves and the occasional cough that would wrack their frame. They climbed out and patted themselves down with paper towels and used the hand dryer on their hair, looking back at their clothes in thought.

_My clothes haven’t been washed in months either, and it is warm enough that they should dry by morning. I guess I’ll wash them too._ Frisk refilled two sinks with water, using one to wash their clothes and the other to rinse the soap out. Once they were satisfied with the results, they wrung their clothes out as best they could and laid them flat on paper towels to dry in the bathroom. _I had almost forgot what color these stripes were, there was so much dirt ingrained in the fabric. I hope they dry quickly, but I can always put them under the hair dryer a couple of times to help if needed._

  
Frisk curled up on their old blanket that had been once more tucked underneath their clothing for extra warmth. _It would have been nice to wash this too but it would have taken longer to dry and then I wouldn’t have had anything to sleep on. At least my body and clothes are clean now. I could almost pass for a normal child._ With their energy sapped by being in the warmth for the first time in over 2 months, they quickly fell asleep. They woke up several times throughout the night out of habit and would peek out the door to check to see if it was light out.

Once Frisk saw that dawn was approaching, they checked on their clothes and found them almost dry. After a couple of minutes of repeatedly activating the hand dryer the clothes were dry and warm. Frisk quickly got dressed and made sure that all evidence that they had spent the night was cleaned up, then went out to the main part of the store and climbed back into the ball pit, still no one in sight. _Employees come in first, then the customers. Once it gets loud out there I’ll pop up and leave._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, at least I let them have a night of peace and warmth? Ehh, you are right. Everyone is in the "pits"
> 
> Mettaton is a fabulous drag queen.
> 
> "Born this Way" is by Lady Gaga


	7. Have Yourself a Merry Little Frisk-mas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you know how I said that this fic wouldn't be particularly angst filled? Well, I might have lied a little. Please forgive me. 
> 
> Spoiler Alert: Santa...isn't real. I'm sorry to break this news to you. He is alive in the spirit of our hearts though!

Frisk’s POV

  
Frisk wandered around the forest a little, looking at the ground as they walked. After a couple more minutes, they found exactly what they were looking for. Frisk pulled the evergreen branch off the ground where it had been tossed by the wind a week or two earlier. _This will make the perfect Christmas tree for under the bridge. I can’t believe I forgot to get one earlier than this, but I’ve been busy trying to prepare for my departure._

Frisk pulled the two foot branch behind them through the snow, a deep cough stopping them in their tracks every once in a while. Their chest was hurting a bit and their lungs rattled a little while they were breathing, and sometimes Frisk would cough up mucus from their lungs. _Maybe once I get to a warmer place this will go away and I’ll be healthy again. I just need to get away from all this snow and wind and I’ll be alright._

Frisk finally managed to get back to the bridge, panting from the effort exerted. Taking a minute to breath, Frisk dug a hole in the snow with their bare hands. Once they got down to the frozen dirt below, they took the branch and used the end to dig a little deeper, then piled snow around the base. _That should hold it well enough. I wish I had some decorations for it…I think there might be a holly bush around here, maybe I can at least give it a little color._ Frisk found the holly bush and plucked a couple of boughs off, making sure not to disturb the bush too much. They placed them around the branch, weaving them into the needles so that the berries would stay. 

 _That’s better. It makes this place feel almost…_ Frisk couldn’t finish the sentence. Before they had gone to the Underground, they had truly begun to think of this ledge under the bridge as home. But now it only felt empty and lonely. _Remember, you are staying away for everyone’s sake and your own. I should cheer up, tomorrow is Christmas. I don’t have any gifts to give, but I can still sing Christmas carols._

Frisk pulled themselves onto their ledge, wanting to stay with their Christmas “tree” below but finding it too cold to do so. Instead they settled themselves so that they could look down on the tree. Frisk pulled their blanket tighter around them and rubbed their pale bluish hands together, trying to get circulation back in them after being out in the snow. _What song should I sing? Oh I know a good one. We used to sing it all the time back at the group home._

Frisk cleared their throat a little and began, their voice not much louder than a whisper. “ _Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, over the hills we go, laughing all the way! HO HO HO!_ ” When Frisk got to the laughing, the effort required caused a coughing fit that lasted a full minute before they were able to regain their breath. _Maybe I should choose a different song to sing._

Frisk thought for a moment and tried again. “ _Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, they never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games…”_ Frisk trailed off. To them, that song felt a little too familiar. They had definitely not been the most popular kid in school. Very few people wanted a friend that couldn’t come over to play after school, and the group home had had a very strict policy on visitors. Parents sometimes would even steer their children away from friendships with Frisk because they weren’t comfortable with their child hanging out at a place such as that.

_There has got to be a song I can do. Hmmm, let me try…”_

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la-_ ” Frisk stopped and looked down at their own sweater. _I know it is clean now, but this doesn’t feel like a happy and joyous sweater to me. Although I guess I did get to meet my new friends in it…well now that song is out._

Frisk started to get a little frustrated, but took a deep breath (which made them cough a little) and decided on another song. “ _Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother-“_

_no.  
_

_"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Good tidings we bring to you and your kin-“_

_No._

_“Up on the house-_ NO” Frisk finally shouted out, coughing violently. _No. No more. I don’t want to pretend anymore today._

Frisk pulled all their blankets around them and lay down to sleep. _Maybe I won’t celebrate Christmas tomorrow. It isn’t that big of a deal, not everyone celebrates Christmas. It isn’t like Santa exists, and even if he did, he wouldn’t find me here._

Frisk turned on their side with their back to the tree. Slowly they began to sing again. “ _I woke up it was 7, I waited till 11, just to figure out that no one would call.”_

_And that is no one’s fault but yours._

Frisk continued, tears forming in the corners of their eyes. “ _I think I’ve got a lot of friends but I don’t hear from them, what’s another night all alone, when you’re spending every day alone?”_

_You wouldn’t be alone if you didn’t screw everything up all the time._

The tears were starting to fall, making their cheeks feel even colder. “ _And here is it goes. I’m just a kid, and life is a nightmare. I’m just a kid, I know that it’s not fair. Nobody cares, cause I’m alone and the world is having more fun than me…”_ Frisk pressed their face into the towel below them and cried, eventually falling asleep to the sound of their own anxiety and insecurities.

 

 Sans’ POV

  
Sans trudged back up the walkway to Asgore and Toriel’s twin duplexes. Papyrus was beside him, none of the normal excitement in his step. They had just finished searching for Frisk again to no avail. _I can’t believe that it is Christmas and we still haven’t found them yet. I thought for sure we had them last time, but that store was so big and Frisk is so small, they could have been hiding anywhere._

“Sans?” A voice cut into his thoughts. Pap.

“Yes Papyrus?” Pap stood in front of him, looking concerned.

“What are you thinking about?”

Sans gave a shrug and a smile, a lie coming easily to his tongue. “Oh, just trying to figure out what awesome present you got me this year.”

Papyrus brightened and let out a laugh. “NYEH HEH HEH HEH! YOU WILL NEVER FIGURE IT OUT, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A MASTER AT GIFT GIVING!”

Sans grinned back. “Yeah, I just don’t see how you are going to beat last year’s gift of supplies to help me clean up and organize my room. Especially the feather duster, that one really tickled me pink.”

“SAAANNNNSSSS, I SWEAR I WILL THROW YOU IN THE SNOWBANK.”

Sans kept his grin even as he replied “Well, I guess I’d make quite a deposit.”

Papyrus threw his gloved hands into the air. “I GIVE UP!” Sans chuckled, following Papyrus up the steps into the houses.

“TORIEL, ASGORE, WE ARE BACK FROM…WHERE WE WENT!” Papyrus shouted out. S

ans’ mouth tightened. They were technically supposed to use the time to go bring their contribution to the potluck dinner tonight back with them after cleaning up, but had used most of the time to search for the kid, only stopping by the house on the way back to grab the ingredients for the spaghetti. Papyrus had insisted on only making it right before the dinner because it would taste better that way. Sans went into the shared kitchen and found Tori standing by the sink, washing the morning dishes. _I thought she would have been done by now, she sent everyone out three hours ago to shower and pick up whatever they needed._

Sans looked her over and saw a few leaves caught in her fur. _Guess she was out looking for Frisk too during that time and didn’t want anyone to know. Maybe she just wanted an excuse to look for them herself without everyone else feeling obligated to spend their Christmas searching. Tori, you know us better than that._

Sans stood beside Tori and quietly pulled the leaves out of her fur.

“Sans, what are you doing?”

Sans looked up. “Oh, just pulling out some icing that got in your fur earlier. I should have warned you about letting Papyrus decorate his own cinnamon bun.”

Tori giggled. “I thought I had gotten it all, but clearly not. Besides, what followed was my own fault. But thanks Sans, that is so SWEET. Getting all that icing out of my fur was pure Tori-ture.” Sans laughed, careful to keep the leaves in his hand hidden as he threw them in the trash.

Sans went out into Asgore’s living room and plopped on the couch, staring at the enormous tree in the corner. Gifts piled high around it, taking up an entire corner of the room. He stared off into space, thinking of last night and this morning.

  
\---Christmas Eve---

  
Sans sat on the couch surrounded by his friends. Everyone had a glass of eggnog, although Papyrus had chosen the non-alcoholic version and so had Sans, choosing instead to top his with ketchup. Undyne and Alphys were curled up under a blanket against the couch, Undyne’s arm wrapped around her girlfriend to hold her close and Alphys blushing all the while. Asgore sat in his giant chair, speaking gently to Napstablook who floated nearby. Mettaton was standing near a wall with Papyrus, amazing his brother with tales of people he had met on the surface. And Tori…Sans glanced over. She was sitting quietly at the other end of the couch.

“Tori? You still awake there?” Sans called out quietly.

Tori started in her seat and looked over. “Yes, sorry, I was just…lost in thought. I wish…nevermind. It’s late, and Santa won’t come unless you all get to bed.”

Papyrus ran over. “SANTA IS COMING? OH NO, YOU ARE RIGHT, IT IS VERY LATE. SANS, YOU LAZY BONES, WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME? WE HAVE TO GO GET READY FOR BED RIGHT AWAY!” Everyone laughed as Papyrus rushed out the room, racing towards Toriel’s side of the house where he had left his things.

Sans stood up as well. “I better go make sure he does a good job brushing. Thanks again you guys for inviting us all over to spend the night. It has been all he talked about this week.”

Asgore gave a small smile and Toriel said “Don’t worry about it, Christmas is a time to be with family and friends.”

Suddenly all the smiles in the room became fixed as they each thought about the one missing from their crowd. Undyne, feeling awkward in the silence, turned to Asgore. “We’re staying in your spare bedroom right?”

Asgore shook himself out of it and answered “Yes, everything is set up in there. Goodnight you two.”

Undyne and Alphys murmured “Night” to all present and left the room.

Mettaton called over to Blook. “Darling, we should probably head out for tonight. As for the rest of you, don’t forget to call us about when we are doing gifts tomorrow!”

After they exited as well, Sans started to walk through the kitchen to Toriel’s living room, Tori right behind him, the two of them calling out a good night to Asgore as they walked. Entering the living room, Sans was unsurprised to see his brother already in his pajamas waiting beside his sleeping bag.

“My offer still stands you two. I have two beds here that you can use.”

Sans shook his head while Papyrus exclaimed “BUT IT IS MORE FUN TO SLEEP OUT HERE! THANK YOU ANYWAYS TORIEL!” Toriel smiled shaking her head a little and said goodnight to them both, disappearing into her room.

Sans went to the bathroom to change and brush his teeth and then sat down beside Papyrus. “What book are we reading tonight, Pap?” Papyrus held up The Night Before Christmas. Sans chuckled. “Very appropriate. Alright, get in your sleeping bag and I’ll read. It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house…” Sans read the whole book and looked over at his brother. _Asleep already, huh? Merry Christmas Pap. And Merry Christmas to you too, Frisk, wherever you are._

  
-.-.-.-.-.-

  
“Sans…Sans…SANS WAKE UP!” Sans blearily opened his eye sockets and looked around until he located his brother sitting up in the sleeping bag next to him.

“Pap? What time is it? I know you are excited but you need to sleep.”

Papyrus frowned, his eyes wide. “But Sans, I heard something from over in Asgore’s house. What if there is an intruder?”

Sans stiffened, listening intently. He heard a shuffling sound coming from the other side of the kitchen. “I’ll take a look Pap, just stay here.” Sans got up and peered through the kitchen to the dark living room on the other side. He could just barely make up an outline of a large individual dressed in a red suit. _Heh, I can’t believe he bought that thing._ “Hey Pap?” Sans whispered to his brother. “Come here a second.”

Papyrus gingerly stepped over, looking down at Sans. “Did you locate the intruder Sans?” Papyrus asked.

Sans nodded and pointed to Asgore’s living room. “I think he might be the clause of the noise you heard.”

Papyrus looked over and let out a squeak. “Sans! Sans that is Santa! Santa is here! Hurry up and get back in bed before he knows we are awake!” Papyrus dove back inside his sleeping bag and pulled it over his head.

By the time Sans had walked back over and checked underneath, Papyrus was well asleep. _How did he do that? I thought I was the king of sleeping._ Sans shuffled back over to the kitchen and called out softly. “If you were planning for this to be your new line of work on the surface you may want to reconsider. Pap just caught you.”

Asgore turned around guiltily. “Sorry, I was just excited myself. This was supposed to be a surprise for…for Frisk. Did Papyrus know it was me?”

Sans waved a hand. “Nah, as soon as he saw the red suit he took off like a shot for his sleeping bag. But next time, you may want a hat that covers those horns.” Asgore reached up and felt the tiny hat sitting between the two large horns on his head.

“You know, you may be right” he said solemnly.

Sans grinned then yawned. “Well, I’m back to bed. See you in the morning, Santa.” Asgore gave a quiet laugh before returning to placing even more presents under the tree. Sans crossed back over to where Papyrus lay asleep. _I’m willing to bet a lot of those are for Frisk_ Sans thought as he climbed back inside his sleeping bag. _Does this mean we are going to delay opening presents tomorrow so we can look? I hope so, I know if we found them everyone would cheer up and actually get into the spirit. Right now the only one not faking is probably Papyrus, and even he isn’t as happy as he normally is this time of year. Maybe I can suggest to Pap we take our time tomorrow getting the food for the potluck, give the area a quick search. It would certainly make this the best Christmas ever if we managed to bring them back with us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...I'm just going to curl up on my bed under a blanket and try not to cry. 
> 
> Christmas songs: “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks, “Deck the Halls” English lyrics by Thomas Oliphant, “Silent Night” by Franz Xaver Gruber, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” by Arthur Warrell, “Up On The House Top” by Benjamin Hanby.
> 
> "I'm Just A Kid" is by Pierre Bouvier (Simple Plan)


	8. Just "Roll" With It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every time I was writing a paper this week I kept thinking how much I'd rather be working on this fic. It means a lot that this many people enjoy reading it :)

 

Sans’ POV

  
Sans woke up to a delicious smell permeating the house. Checking his brother’s spot beside him, he was unsurprised to find that Papyrus was out of bed. _He’s probably been up for hours, waiting._ Sans debated going back to sleep, but another whiff had him rising from his sleeping bag and wandering into the kitchen and dining area. Toriel was by the stove, pulling something out of the oven. At the table, Asgore was holding a cup of tea as he relaxed in a chair while Papyrus had a mug of hot cocoa in front of him. Undyne and Alphys weren’t up yet apparently.

“Sans! You are awake? I didn’t think you’d be up for another hour!” Papyrus said, turning to him.

Sans gave a sleepy blink. “I would have slept longer, but the smells drifting in gave me a sh-oven out of bed." Toriel laughed from her place in the kitchen as Papyrus groaned.

“IT’S TOO EARLY FOR YOUR PUNS, BROTHER!”

“Is he at it already? Sans, at least wait until I’ve had some coffee” Undyne grumbled as she entered the room, Alphys behind her. Sans started snickering a little at the sight of them. They were wearing matching red pajama bottoms covered in Christmas trees as well as green tops. Undyne’s said Naughty while Alphys sported one that proclaimed her to be Nice.

Papyrus stopped groaning and looked as well. “You didn’t tell me that we were going to wear matching pajamas! SANS, WE SHOULD GO HOME AND GET OURS!”

Sans grin faded a little. “No Pap, I’m good. Besides, our matching pjs don’t fit for Christmas like theirs do.”

Papyrus pouted a little. “BROTHER, I AM STARTING TO THINK THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO SHOW OFF THOSE PAJAMAS I GOT YOU.”

Asgore looked at the two of them. “What do these pajamas look like?”

Papyrus shot up. “I’LL SHOW YOU, I MANAGED TO GET A PICTURE ON MY PHONE.”

Sans plopped into a chair and clunked his head on the table. _I thought I deleted them all, guess he took more._ Papyrus rushed back in and shoved his phone in front of Asgore. Asgore took one look and guffawed, quickly passing the phone to Undyne and Alphys.

Undye glanced at it and did a double take. “Is that…are you guys…DRESSED AS SPAGHETTI AND A MEATBALL?”

Papyrus beamed, clearly proud of himself. “YES! Although…there were supposed to be two meatballs…” his voiced dropped off. Sans poked his head up quickly as the mood in the room dimmed a little.

Luckily Toriel sensed the change and swept in, carrying a pan before her. “The cinnamon buns are finished! I thought everyone could decorate their own with the icing.” Exclaims of delight went around the table as everyone took a monster-sized cinnamon bun. Toriel passed around the homemade icing next, the icing having been put in little tubes for easier decorating. Sans grabbed one and looked down at his cinnamon, debating. He looked up to see what Papyrus had decided to draw and found the skeleton staring at the cinnamon bun a little mournfully. Around the table similar looks could be found. Tori had started to draw what looked like a snail but her heart didn’t seem to be in it. Undyne was fiddling with her tube and Asgore had started drawing a flower, but the cast on his face showed his thoughts.

Alphys met Sans’ gaze with a small smile and a plead in her eyes. Sans gave a quick nod. “Hey bro, I bet I can decorate my cinnamon bun better than you.”

Papyrus’ eyes gleamed. “OH NO YOU DON’T BROTHER! I WILL DEFEAT YOU, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A MASTER DECORATOR!”

Undyne slammed her fist on the table. “HEY PUNK, IS THAT A CHALLENGE? I COULD DECORATE THIS BUN WITH ONE ARM TIED BEHIND MY BACK!”

Toriel narrowed her eyes. “Now now, no need to fight…” Undyne muttered a quick “sorry” before Toriel continued “We all know that when it comes to things like decorating buns, I am truly the upper crust!”

Sans kept his face neutral “Wow, Tori, that pun was truly the icing on the cake.”

Asgore sat up in his chair “Come now, everyone, you are all good at decorating. Although to be completely honest, you could call me the king.”

Undyne’s face twisted into a grin. “ALRIGHT YOU NERDS, IT’S ON!” And with that began the chaos. Everyone began decorating with greater intensity. Sprinkles were brought out and tossed with reckless abandon.

Sans looked down at his cinnamon bun again and his lips quirked up a little. _I know what will make Paps smile._ He carefully drew a single circle around the outer edge of the cinnamon bun and then wrote his name on it _._ “Hey Paps, look, I drew a snowman.”

Papyrus looked at his cinnamon bun and grumbled. “Sans, while I admit it looks like your normal snowman, I wish you would put SOME effort into your decorating. But no matter, for I will decorate my cinnamon twice as hard!”

Sans leaned over and looked at his brother’s bun. _Looks like an entire Christmas scene in there, he is doing a good job._ His view was quickly blocked by Papyrus hunching over his work.

“SANS, PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO CHEAT JUST BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT TO TRY TO THINK OF SOMETHING.”

Sans chortled as he scanned the table. Toriel appeared to be putting the finishing touches on a highly detailed snail. Asgore’s single flower had bloomed into a garden. Alphys was blushing at she drew the main character of Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie (the first one of course) and Undyne was… _what in the world is she doing? If she tops any more sprinkles and icing on there, something is bound to go wrong._

He looked at the clock on the wall. “Time’s up guys, put the decorations down.” Everyone except Sans relaxed a little and leaned back, each surveying the competition.

“ALRIGHT, WHO IS GOING TO JUDGE THIS THING?” Undyne roared.

Alphys started to say something, then stopped. “I..I guess we, um, forgot to appoint a judge. So maybe, since it is Christmas, we can, uh, all win?”

Undyne bent over and planted a kiss on Alphys’ nose. “I’ll agree to that as long as EVERYONE agrees that Sans lost.”

Seeing the nods around the table Sans let out a pained sigh. “Well, if you all feel that way, I guess I’ll just…roll with it.” He let his eyes narrow a little, getting ready to bait Undyne. “But from the looks of it, yours isn’t any better.”

Undyne jumped up, her chair crashing behind her. “WHAT DID YOU SAY PUNK? I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THIS CINNAMON BUN DISPLAYS THE MOST INTENSITY OUT OF ANYONES. YOU CAN’T EVEN FIT ANYTHING ELSE ON HERE.”

Papyrus studied Undyne’s “masterpiece” in thoughtful concentration. “But Undyne, he is right! You can’t even see the beautiful picture of Alphys that you wer-” Papyrus was cut off by a giant glob of icing being shoved into his mouth. Undyne’s eyes gleamed a little as she slammed the tube back down on the table.

“SHUT UP, THAT WAS NOTHING, IT JUST HAPPENED TO LOOK LIKE-“ Sans carefully maneuvered his own packet of icing using his magic, waiting until Undyne’s mouth was wide open. SQUIRT. Undyne broke off in shock, twisting deliberately towards Sans. He sat completely still, ignoring the small bead of sweat that was now rolling down his back. “What. Did. You. Just. Do?” Undyne hissed.

Papyrus quickly stood up as well and placed himself in front of Sans, forgetting the tube of icing that he had put down earlier. SQUIRT. As one, the group watched as it flew down the table and landed on Toriel’s shoulder.

Papyrus immediately became mortified and began to stammer out an apology. “Toriel! I am SO SORRY!” Toriel waved her hand, dismissing the apology. She carefully picked up her tube and slammed her paws together, the icing arcing back down the table and hitting Asgore in the nose.

Alphys was the first to break the silence, unable to hold back her giggles. Asgore’s stare softened a little as he looked over his royal scientist before SQUIRT! Giving her a new style of necklace. Instead of becoming upset, Alphys just giggled harder while Undyne thundered out “YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT ONE!”

A battle field was created and lines were drawn as tubes of icing and handfuls of sprinkles were snagged. Sans ducked underneath the table as food went flying, barely dodging Undyne’s cinnamon bun spiraled high with icing and sprinkles. _Well, I guess now all I can do it is wait it out under here. At least all of them seem happy right now. I just have to keep it up for the rest of the day, however exhausting that may be._

Sans paused his musings for a second. It had gotten a little too quiet above him and he tuned in to hear a few whispers “..won’t suspect…” “you ready?” Sans prepared to teleport away, if they were planning what he thought, he didn’t want to stay put. _I need to stay inside the house though, where can I go to esca-_ a pair of bony arms reached underneath the table and grabbed him, pulling him out and exposing him.

Sans took in the scene before him. Everyone else was covered in icing, sprinkles, and bits of cinnamon bun, and they were all turned toward him, gleefully smiling. “Hey guys, you look like you might have a little something right…” Sans waved his arm around the entire room, which was similarly decorated “…there.”

Papyrus started to laugh. “NYEH HEH HEH HEH, YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD ESCAPE US BROTHER? BUT THIS WAS YOUR IDEA, WE FELT IT WAS UNFAIR OF US NOT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.”

Sans’ grin waned and he began to struggle a little in his brother’s arms. “No really, it is no problem, just consider it my pun-ishment.”

Toriel stepped in front of him, a small smirk stuck on her face. “Oh don’t worry, we are.”

_Oh no._

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-

  
“Sans? You okay?” Sans came out of his daydream and saw Asgore settling into his chair nearby.

“Yeah, I’m good, just remembering this morning.”

Asgore chuckled “Did you ever get all the icing out of your nose?”

Sans grinned back. “I could ask the same of you. How long did it take you to shower afterwards? You didn’t seem like you were downstairs when we got back.”

Asgore’s eyes widened a little before he brought his face back under control, putting on his mask of diplomacy. “Oh, it seemed like it would be a good time to…go for a walk. I wanted to make that I have plenty of room for dinner tonight.”

_Him too? And it sounds like he and Toriel searched separately._

Papyrus came rushing into the room and quickly slammed down on the couch next to Sans, tossing him into the air. Sans quickly grabbed the arm rest to stay on the couch. “OH MY GOSH SANS ARE YOU OKAY?” Sans assented as he settled back into the couch. Papyrus continued. “We are going to do presents soon! We just have to wait for Undyne and Alphys, and Mettaton and Napstablook.”

KNOCK KNOCK. _Must be Undyne._

“What up punks! Sorry we are late, it took longer than we thought to…get our stuff done.”

_No one wants to acknowledge what we did during our break. I guess we can’t admit to ourselves that Frisk is…absent. Here is to a day spent ignoring the giant elephant not in the room._

“DARLINGS, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! I’M SO GLAD WE PUSHED BACK OUR GIFT OPENING TIME, IT GAVE ME AND DEAR BLOOKY THE CHANCE TO DRIVE AROUND AND SEARCH FOR FRISK! IT WAS SO NICE TO SEE ALL OF YOU OUT AND ABOUT DOING THE SAME, IT REALLY SHOWS THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.”

  
Undyne instantly became flustered. “NO WE WEREN’T OUT LOOKING FOR FRISK… I mean, not that we wouldn’t look for Frisk…we were just busy…doing…girlfriend…stuff. YES THAT’S IT, WE WERE DOING GIRLFRIEND STUFF! COME HERE BABE AND GIVE ME A KISS!” Alphys blushed and hid behind her claws before stumbling over to receive a kiss.

Mettaton squealed “OH YOU TWO ARE PRECIOUS! WHY DID YOU HIDE THIS FROM THE AUDIENCE THE OTHER DAY? YOUR LOVE SHOULD BE SHARED!”

Sans leapt at the chance to change the topic. “I feel there is a story the rest of us are missing here. Mind cluing us in?” Mettaton recanted the story with Undyne objecting at every turn, allowing everyone to relax again. _The truth is out now, but there is no need to rehash the search. Obviously no one was successful. If they were, we wouldn’t be waiting around for someone to make the first move on the presents. We can’t put if off any longer though, we have no idea if…no, when…we will find Frisk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like Christmas just keeps going, doesn't it? Sorry I left it off a little abruptly, but otherwise the chapter would have been over twice as long and I wouldn't have been able to update just yet. The next chapter will come out sooner rather than later to make up for this.
> 
> For once, I didn't have a ringtone or song to put down here. 
> 
> Also, I have a request. Are there any tags that should be added or my summary updated? I just want to make sure that whoever clicks here knows what this fanfiction will be about and doesn't become disappointed.


	9. No New Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter, coming sooner than usual as promised. This is the last chapter in the Christmas segment. I tried to lighten the mood where I could, but...
> 
> I should probably just go ahead and take my stuffed animals and blankets down to the bunker.

Everyone had settled into place now, even Blook who was floating near the wall close to Mettaton. “Hey Pap, do you want to be our master of ceremonies here? No-body could do the job better.”

Papyrus groused his complaint. “SANS, THAT PUN STINKS! DON’T RUIN CHRISTMAS WITH YOUR TOMFOOLERY!”

Sans shrugged “I don’t know bro, I didn’t think it was especially pun-gent.” Groans rose from around Asgore’s living room.

Tori spoke up “Sans, I don’t think we can let you say these things with im-pun-ity.”

Sans’ smile became predatory. _It’s on._ “Can’t we just ex-pun-ge this from the record? I can’t take much pun-ishing, I am so pun-y after all. I don’t even have that much s-pun-k. Please don’t pun-t me away. I promise I won’t be so much of a pun-k in the future, so there is no need to get pun-chy. Now, we need to start opening up presents if you want dinner to be pun-ctual.”

Toriel was laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair and Alphys was curled up in a ball, shaking slightly. Asgore had his face in his paw and was shaking his head slowly back and forth. Papyrus was screaming silently into a pillow beside him and Undyne’s face could fry an egg. Mettaton was pretending to ignore Sans, chatting with Blook who seemed to be the only one there who wasn’t reacting.

Asgore lifted his head from his paw. “Papyrus, you better go ahead and start before Undyne turns your brother into a literal bag of bones.”

Papyrus looked over at Sans. “AGREED. WHILE HE ANNOYS ME WITH HIS WORDPLAY, HE IS ENTIRELY TOO WEAK TO SURVIVE AGAINST HER. THEREFORE, LET CHRISTMAS COMMENCE!" Papyrus pulled out each person’s gifts and sorted them into piles. The largest pile was left under the tree, no one saying a thing. They went around the room, opening gifts one by one and exclaiming over each of them.

Mettaton trilled “Alphys, this mirror attachment is simply amazing! You must install it forthwith!”

Blook managed to babble out a thanks to Toriel, trying his new head phones on.

“Papyrus, this is great! Something made JUST TO PUNCH!” Undyne enthusiastically yelled out.

Sans was chuckling over his gift. “A skull mug? Now I can really skull-k around in the mornings.”

Asgore added “There is tea in there as well from plants in my own garden. It will help you on bad days.” Sans nodded, knowing exactly what kind of “bad day” Asgore was speaking of.

“THE NEW MTT ACTION FIGURES! BUT THESE AREN’T EVEN IN STORES YET!” Papyrus shrieked.

“Not yet, darling, but you could say I have an inside source. I wanted my biggest fan to be the first one to get them!” Mettaton cooed back.

“Knitting needles? Thank you Sans, I’ve really worn mine down recently. You always know how to keep me in stitches.” Toriel said fondly.

Blook drifted over to Alphys. “Here you go…I understand if you don’t like it…you probably won’t…I’m not very good at this…I’m just going to shut up now.”

Alphys smiled shyly as she tore open the package, her shyness quickly replaced with pure delight. “A MEW MEW: KISSY CUTIE LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT AND POSTER?!? BLOOK, THIS IS THE GREATEST GIFT EVER!”

“Ahem” Undyne looked over.

Alphys shrunk a little, then stood up taller. “No Undyne, I can’t downplay this. IT IS A LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT AND POSTER!”

Undyne sighed, then reached over to slap Blook on the back, forgetting that her hand would pass straight through them. “Good job, Napstablook. You made her happy, which makes me happy.” Blook stuttered a little and fell silent, drifting back towards the wall in a happy sort of shock that they had gotten thanked by two people for one gift.

Asgore pulled out a giant floppy sun hat with golden flowers stitched on the sash surrounding the brim. “Thank you Undyne, this will really help keeps the sun’s rays off my head and neck this spring. And I know someone else who will appreciate the decoration on it.”

Toriel looked over. “Where is our rascally school mascot anyways? Normally he would try to plant himself in the middle of this.”

-Asgore replied “I felt this might be a little too much for him, so I gave him his present early and put him in my office with a blanket tented over him. Last I checked he was fast asleep.”

After all the presents had been opened and the wrapping paper cleaned up, Toriel excused herself to finish cooking the dinner. Papyrus rose as well, following her into the kitchen to make his spaghetti. Sans wiggled further into the couch, observing everyone. It was muted in the room, no one wanting to break the silence. _This is the quietest I’ve seen everyone in ages. Even though Frisk didn’t talk much, they sure got everyone else to come together. Maybe…maybe we’ll luck out and they will realize that they want to be here. Maybe they’ll call someone to come pick them up._

“ _I LIVE FOR THE APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE, I LIVE FOR THE APPLUASE-PLAUSE, LIVE FOR THE APPLAUSE-PLAUSE, LIVE FOR THE WAY THAT YOU CHEER AND SCREAM FOR ME-_ “ Mettaton cut his phone off, apologizing around the room as everyone had jumped up from their seats at the sudden noise.“Sorry darlings, that was my agent.”

Alphys looked confused. “Shouldn’t you, um, call them back…or something?”

Mettaton shook his head. “No, not today Alphys. Christmas is family time. In fact, the only reason I even have my cell phone on is just in case that precious child decides to call.” Alphys and Undyne looked at each other quickly, and Alphys discretely pulled out her cell phone and turned it back on.

Sans took the time to check his as well, and was both reassured and disheartened to see that it was on and he hadn’t missed any calls. _The day isn’t over yet, they might have decided to surprise everyone and show up for dinner. Although, this is Frisk we are talking about. I didn’t think they were all that shy Underground but here on the surface they seem scared of everyone. If that is the case, we definitely won’t see them today. But I’m not going to downplay anyone’s hopes tonight. It has been far too rough of a month trying to find them for us not to hang on to any chance we can get._

DING DONG. The doorbell rang out, every head swiveling to see who would walk in. Papyrus shouted out “I’LL GET IT!” but by the time he had gotten to the door Sans was already opening it. Outside stood Dogamy and Dogaressa, with Grillby coming up the walk.

Asgore walked up behind Sans “Glad you all could make it, come in!”

Sans shut the door with a sigh and spun around, coming face to face with Papyrus. “Brother, you were very quick to open that door. Why did you rush over?” Sans fumbled, quickly thinking of a lie.

“Well, you know, it is really cold out, just didn’t want anyone to get too cold out there.”

Papyrus inspected his face and nodded. “GOOD THINKING BROTHER, I AM GLAD YOU ARE USING YOUR ABILITIES TO HELP OTHERS.”

Over Papyrus’ shoulder, Sans could see Asgore staring at him. _Can’t fool them all I guess. At least Pap seemed to buy it, I don’t need him thinking about Frisk too much. He’ll just start blaming himself again for not catching them that first time._

Sans trailed the group heading back towards the living room and watched as Asgore first presented Grillby with a fire-proof, water-proof jacket. The flame monster crackled appreciatively, having been hit by some of the snow that was now falling gently past the windows.

Asgore turned back to the pile of gifts and pulled out two more, handing one each to Dogamy and Dogaressa. They tore open the packages to reveal two stuffed animals. “Asgore, don’t you think we are a little too old to-“ SQUEAK. “DOGAMY THESE TOYS SQUEAK!” Asgore and Undyne began laughing over their former royal guardsmen, who were now spinning around in circles and tossing their toys up in the air to catch.

Toriel walked into the room, clapping her hands together once. “Alright everyone, dinner is served. Come in and have a seat.” Sans walked into the dining area and found his place at the table, noting that Toriel had somehow managed to get all of the icing scrapped off the walls. The table was laden with foods of all kinds and everyone tucked in fervently. Sans tried a little bit of everything, making sure to take a large spoonful of his brother’s spaghetti. He noticed that a bottle of ketchup had been placed in front of his plate; he quickly slathered it over everything.

 _Toriel always makes sure everyone has everything they need. Looks like she is even helping to serve Papyrus right now, even though he could probably do it himself. Her mothering instincts must be haywire, especially knowing that Frisk is sick. I don’t know how she has managed to hold up so well lately._ Sans kept watching as Toriel scanned the table, making sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like she had tears in the corners of her eyes when they settled on the extra chair that had been placed against the wall. “Hey Tori, knock knock.”

Toriel jerked her head away from the chair. “Who’s there?”

“Olive.”

“Olive who?”

“Olive what you did with this casserole.”

Toriel beamed. “Thank you Sans, I’m glad you enjoy it!”

She turned back to her own plate and began to eat, blotting her eyes with her napkin when she thought no one was looking. The joke seemed to break the ice and conversations rose up along the table. After dinner Toriel brought out her famous pie to many exclamations of delight, and many belts had to be loosened near the end. Even with everyone at the table eating heartily there were plenty of leftovers remaining. Dogamy and Dogaressa had a shift the next morning and got ready to head out.

“Let me pack up some leftovers for you two.” Toriel headed into the kitchen to find a carton.

Sans saw Dogamy pull Undyne aside for a minute while Dogaressa was saying goodbye to everyone. Whatever Dogamy told Undyne made her scrunch her face and shake her head sadly. When Toriel walked back out of the kitchen and went to hand the now full carton over, they quickly smoothed their faces.

“Goodbye everyone, and thank you for having us!” Dogamy called out, wrapping his paw around his wife as they walked out the door.

Grillby stood up as well. “It’s time for me to test out that new jacket I believe. Thank you all for a wonderful meal.”

Sans sauntered over to the door to see his favorite bartender off. After Grillby had said his goodbyes, he went to open the door but was stopped by Sans. Sans looked up at him, an unspoken question in his eyes. The bartender shook his head slightly and patted Sans on the shoulder, exiting. _So he hasn’t seen Frisk since they left his place. And if I had to guess, Dogamy was telling Undyne that they didn’t have any leads either. This town isn’t that big, how in the world can one kid hide from all of us?_

Alphys leaned over to Mettaton and whispered something, both of them taking a quick glance at Blook who had drifted back to a corner, looking a little overwhelmed. Mettaton stood, stopping subconsciously in a pose as usual. “Blook, would you like to come home with me? I don’t want to stay out too late in this cold or my joints might freeze up on the way.”

Napstablook nodded “If…if you would like to cousin…I’ll come with you.” Mettaton swept around the room, saying his farewells while Blook trailed behind him.

Once they had left, it was decided that the rest would go into the living room for one last mug of hot cocoa. Everyone settled around the tree again, each lost in their own thoughts. Looking around, Sans noticed that Toriel kept patting her pocket where he could see the bulge of her phone, Alphys was fiddling with her phone in her hands, and Papyrus was just outright staring at his on the coffee table.

“Pap, you waiting on something there, bro?” Papyrus shifted his eyes away from his phone to look at his brother, but quickly went back to staring at the innocent hunk of metal on the table.

“I AM…I am waiting to hear ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’” Papyrus admitted.

Undyne shook their head. “Why don’t you just go on the internet and look it up, ya dweeb?”

Papyrus’ head dropped a little. “That isn’t it. It…that song is my ringtone for Frisk. I just really hoped that since it was Christmas…” he trailed off.

“Mine for them is ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’” Toriel said, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

Alphys put her face in Undyne’s shoulder to hide her tears, but her response was still very audible. “Count On Me.’”

The mood in the room had dropped startlingly, no one wanting to talk now. Toriel started fiddling with an envelope that was sitting front and center below the tree. Asgore glanced over “Are those the foster papers you mentioned?”

All attention was shifted to Toriel and Undyne asked “You are fostering someone? Is it Frisk?”

Toriel smiled sadly. “When we found out that Frisk was homeless, I did some research on the processes of adoption. Normally it takes several months, if not years, and there are many classes that one has to attend. Papyrus helped me using his ambassador status and we found a loophole that will let me take in Frisk. Officially, they will be Papyrus’ colleague and work as a human ambassador. Monsters coming to the surface wasn’t a situation anyone was prepared for and we were able to use that to our advantage and insist that they be allowed to fill this role. I have already passed safe environment training as a teacher so they allowed me to do an abbreviated course. They’ve even done a home visit here and Asgore had to fill out paperwork as well, seeing how the two houses are connected.”

Asgore added “With me the simple fact that I was King was enough. We still have to undergo a trial period and officially I’m not a primary guardian since Toriel and I are no longer together; I am down as the secondary guardian and caretaker.”

“Does this mean the punk will be staying here with you guys instead of heading off to who knows where?” Undyne asked.

Toriel sighed “If…no, when, we find them, then yes. Frisk will be able to stay here with me.” Undyne and Papyrus cheered loudly, Alphys expressing herself by hugging Undyne.

Sans plastered a smile on his face, thoughts racing. _Buddy, is this why you keep running from us? You should have known Toriel would do everything in her power to keep you with her. You need to give us a chance now, Frisk._

Toriel dropped the envelope back to its spot and buried her face in her hands. “Toriel? What’s wrong? Isn’t this a good thing?” Papyrus inquired gently.

Toriels shoulders shook as she sobbed out her answer. “I can’t lose another child, I can’t! And Frisk is getting so weak and sick, I’m just afraid that we aren’t going to be in time.”

Asgore walked over and hugged Toriel. Papyrus stood up and joined, then Alphys and Undyne. “You too, punk” Undyne grunted, snagging Sans by his jacket and pulling him up. Sans offered no resistance and wrapped his arms around the group. After a minute Toriel thanked them and they all sat back down, alone with their thoughts.

Sans blinked and looked at the clock. “Pap, we should go home. It’s getting kind of late.” Papyrus huffed a small sigh and stood, extremely downcast. _I wish I could think of something else to cheer him up or at least take his mind off it, but I’m running out of ideas. Hmm…got it._

“Undyne, Pap and I will search the other side of town again tomorrow. I’ll…drop you a line…if we find anything.” Papyrus continued putting on his coat, not reacting in the slightest. _Bro, please, let me know you are okay. Normally Undyne would put me in a headlock for that one but she is just sitting there, and you didn’t groan at all. Frisk, please, come back to us. Please don’t do this anymore._

Sans followed his brother out into the snow, climbing into the passenger side of their car. As Papyrus drove them back to their house, Sans stared out the window. _I didn’t want to tell them my ringtone for you, kid. It might just be wishful thinking anyways…_

_“I’m coming home, I’m coming home, tell the world that I’m coming home…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans had me sobbing by the end. I don't know why I torture all of you and myself like this.  
> I do know that the whole foster thing was a stretch, I'm well aware of the process. I hope it is believable enough in the manner I presented it. I did what I could, but this is a work of fiction and a couple liberties need to be taken for the sake of the story.
> 
> "Applause" is by Lady Gaga  
> "You've Got a Friend in Me" is by Randy Newman  
> "Sweet Child O' Mine" is by Guns N' Roses  
> "Count On Me" is by Bruno Mars  
> "I'm Coming Home" is by Diddy- Dirty Money


	10. "Best Wishes, Frisk"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ventured out of my bunker for more food, blankets, and to drop this off. Maybe it will be a bit more "Cheer"ful. Errr, it is still technically #feelsweek though so...
> 
> Enjoy!

Frisk’s POV

  
Frisk ran their hands over their bag, checking everything for the 5th time. _Bag, flashlight, map, food, water bottle, blankets and towel…yes this is everything. I’m glad I found this zip up hoodie someone threw out, it has a hole at the elbow and in the pocket but it is still a little something extra and it makes me feel warmer._ Frisk sat on their ledge and leaned against the wall, staring around one last time. _The weather doesn’t look like it will get any better than this and it will be night soon. If I don’t leave now I’ll be forced to spend another night here._

_‘Are you sure that isn’t what you want, to stay close to your friends?’_

Frisk curled in a ball, their head in their hands, breathing sporadic. This caused them to start coughing and it took them a couple minutes to calm down enough to think. _I guess, I mean..I don’t know…no. No it isn’t what I want. No one is going to be forced to deal with me or make me feel included. No one is going to have to take care of me. And if I stay here, they’ll find me sooner or later; they’ll find me and I won’t ever see them again because I’ll be back in the system. And even if they visit whatever foster or group home I’m placed in next it will just be because they pity me or something. Either that or I’ll say something really stupid and they won’t ever want to be near me again. I’m leaving before anyone gets hurt. I simply wish there was a way to let them know I’m leaving, that way they don’t have to waste their time continuing to search for me, if they even still are. After the way I’ve run from them, I wouldn’t blame them in the slightest if they decided I wasn’t worth the effort. Let me think…got it!_

Frisk dug back through their bag and pulled out a pencil. _Now, do I have any paper? I think there was some used wrapping paper in the trash can that the jacket was in. I grabbed it just in case, but where did I-here we go._ They pulled out the candy cane stripped wrapping paper, bits of tape stuck along the edges. It was a little smaller than the size of a sheet of notebook paper, but that was all the space they needed. Frisk hunched over the wrapping paper, tapping the pencil in their half-numb fingers. After thinking for a couple seconds, they began to write.

“Dear Everyone...”

  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-

  
“…Best Wishes, Frisk” They carefully signed their name and looked back over the letter. _Looks good to me, I’m really glad my old teachers were so fanatical about proper spelling. This is the last thing I’m going to give to them and I don’t want it to be messy and poorly written. At least if it is, the paper is festive; though they may just decide to shred it so that they don’t have to be reminded of me. I hope they don’t regret making friends with me, although I guess without me coming along they wouldn’t have made it out of the Underground. Oh no, what if the reason they are trying to find me is because they think they owe me something. Better add a P.S. so that they know they don’t owe me at all. Okay, now I really am finished._

_Hmm, where should I leave this? The only place I can think of is Grillby’s. I’d rather not risk going back there again, but I don’t really have a choice. Besides, it is snowing and getting late, maybe Grillby will have closed down. The snow in Snowdin never stopped him, but everything was a bit more stable down there weather wise. And if he is there, he’ll be so busy serving whatever customers braved the storm that he won’t even see the note when I slip in under the back door._ Frisk leaned back, coughing harshly. They dropped their pencil back in their bag and looked outside again.

_It is dark out now, should I just wait until morning so I can see where I’m walking? Wait, now would be the best time to leave a note somewhere since they hopefully wouldn’t find it until morning anyways. That will give me a head start and I can most likely find a place to sleep by the time it is daylight. If I mostly travel at night it will be so dark that I’ll see headlights coming and will be able to hide from all the cars on the road. I just have to get far enough away that they don’t think to look for me there. I already took down as many of those missing child posters that I could find. If they resorted to that I don’t think the police can get involved so I will be safe. I’ll find a big city with lots of places to hide and plenty of dumpsters and get a job as soon as I am able. I wonder if newspapers still let kids deliver the newspaper? I could do that, no problem!_

Frisk shivered as another gust of wind passed below, bringing on another round of coughing. _At least, I could do that job once I feel a little better. Why did I have to pick the day that it started snowing again to leave? No, I’m doing this. No more excuses._

Frisk carefully folded the note and stuck it in their jacket pocket. They slung their backpack on their back and pushed themselves off the ledge, the slight layer of snow that had been swept under the bridge cushioning their fall. Frisk pulled the jacket tighter around them and grabbed the hood, sliding it over their head and face. _The snowstorm is picking up, I hope this doesn’t turn into a blizzard. I think I can still get far enough away even if it does._

They braced themselves and stepped out into the snow, sinking down to their knees. Frisk began to struggle forward, lacking the energy to pick each leg up out of the snow. Instead they shuffled, cutting a path for themselves. They glanced behind them. _Hopefully once I get into town I’ll be able to hide my tracks better, or at the very least the snow covers up my path. Doing a 101 Dalmatians trick won’t work when the snow is this deep._

Frisk trudged through town, not putting as much effort into hiding as they normally would. They barely had the energy to walk; adding steps by taking back alleys and hiding would have exhausted them. Their breathing was labored, but fortunately had yet to develop into the wheezing they thought might come next. _Maybe I’ll be able to get rid of this cough after all, even though I still feel my lungs rattling a little. And soon I’ll be in warmer temperatures and I’ll feel even better. I just have to make it there._

Frisk stopped and leaned against the side of a building, taking a break to catch their breath. Looking around, they saw that the snow was falling heavier and faster now. _I guess I should keep going, otherwise I’m not even going to be able to walk through this._

Frisk stumbled along, their arm thrown up to shield their eyes from the snow. Soon they realized they were approaching Grillby’s. Frisk turned down an alley so that anyone entering or leaving from the restaurant wouldn’t see them. The snow back here wasn’t as bad, the alley having been sheltered a little by the buildings. They passed the hole in the fence that they had snuck in through the last time. _Hard to believe that was a little over 3 weeks ago, so much has happened since then. If I hadn’t been caught then, maybe I could have stayed here a little longer. On the other hand this made me more alert to my surroundings, else I probably would have been left unaware and would have been captured before this. I should have known that I couldn’t just come back and start up my life again after all that. I don’t regret what I did, just that I didn’t leave earlier when I had the chance. I’ve just hurt them and myself but sticking around._

Frisk finally reached the back door of Grillby’s. The crack under the door looked dark and they couldn’t hear anything from inside. _Good, he isn’t here. That means no one will find my note until whenever he re-opens._ Frisk pulled the wrapping paper note out of their pocket and slide it under the door, fingers shaking a little in the cold. As soon as it was done, they turned around to leave and started walking away. A rattling noise came from behind them and they turned around to see Grillby with a shocked look on his face, the folded note in his hand. He had apparently been in the process of putting his coat on to leave as one arm was in a sleeve and the other wasn’t.

Frisk gasped and ended up coughing a little, eyes widened as they began walking backwards in the snow. Grillby took a step out the door, then hissed as snow pelted his bare flame. Frisk took advantage of the distraction and ran, not noticing Grillby ducking back inside and pulling a phone out of his pocket, frantically trying to put his coat on at the same time.

 

Sans’ POV

  
Sans leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes. Beside him, Papyrus sat quietly, glancing out the window every couple seconds. Sans opened an eye and looked over at him. Papyrus was fidgeting in his seat and playing with his gloves, yet had made no move to do anything but continue to sit there. _It isn’t like him to sit this still for so long._ “Hey Pap, what has you in a tizzy?” Sans asked, attempting to mask his concern.

Papyrus sighed. “Look outside brother. It is just so cold and dark and wet. Do you think our human is in a safe place tonight? I am having trouble just sitting here when they could be out in this, all alone. BROTHER, WHY HAVEN’T WE SEEN THEM IN A WHILE? WE NORMALLY CATCH SIGHT OF THEM ABOUT ONCE A WEEK NOW THAT EVERYONE IS LOOKING…why has no one seen them? They…they aren’t…dead…are they?”

By this point Papyrus had tears leaking down his face. Sans shuffled over on the couch and grabbed Papyrus to pull him into a hug. Papyrus put his face against Sans’ shoulder and started crying in earnest. Sans wrapped his arms around his brother and put one hand on his back, leaving the other to gently pet his brother’s skull. “Shhh, shhh Pap, it’s going to be okay. They probably are just hiding out somewhere. We are going to find them Papy, you just have to be patient. Nothing is going to happen to them, I…I promise.” _And as soon as it slows down enough for me to see, I’m searching this town and the outskirts with a fine tooth comb. I’m not letting you be the reason I break a promise to Pap, kid. I don’t know why you don’t want us to help you, but from what I’ve seen and heard about the situation, you no longer have a choice._

Sans sat with Papyrus in silence, neither of them wanting to speak further. _“Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.”_

Sans wanted to ignore his cell phone, but judging by the ringtone it was Grillby calling, and he could never ignore his favorite bartender. _Grillby normally doesn’t call this late. I wonder if something is up, maybe he saw the kid again._ Papyrus poked his head up a little, his face twisted in slight confusion. Sans pressed the screen and started to greet Grillby. “He-“

“OUTSIDE BEHIND GRILLBY’S. HURRY!” The call ended.

Sans tightened his grip on Papyrus. “Hold on” was all the warning he gave. In a blink, the living room sat empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D MAYBE FRISK WILL BE FOUND??? STAY TUNED!  
> Get the pun in the beginning note? Look below for the answer.
> 
> "Cheers" theme song by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo
> 
> Also, I just replied to a bunch of comments. I do promise that I read every single one, but with my own social anxiety I felt really nervous about replying to them. Luckily by now I'm a lot more comfortable with it :D So for anyone wondering about the random message you just received, this is why.


	11. I Said Pun, Not Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CANNOLI AND RAVIOLI! So this fic normally averages about 500-600 views per chapter. However, since posting the last chapter, there has been OVER 1000 VIEWS! I'm bone-doggled! 
> 
> In an unhappier side note, due to this next week being midterm week, etc, I will definitely not be posting the next chapter until next Friday. I'll do my best to make up for this during my Spring Break by posting two chapters during that week.

Sans POV

  
Sans and Papyrus landed in front of Grillby’s just in time to see the flame monster finish struggling into his jacket and run out the door. “They ran away, going along the back alley! They left a note, I haven’t read it yet.”

Papyrus immediately raced towards the alley with Grillby close behind, Sans opting for a shortcut. They arrived in the back to see Frisk muddling their way through the snow, coughing from exertion. _Jeez kid, you do not look good. I’m surprised you are still standing. At least you found a jacket somewhere, even one that has a couple holes in it…wait a second, is that my old jacket? Nevermind, there aren’t enough ketchup stains on it. Thank goodness, I was sure I hadn’t…why am I thinking about this? I need to focus on Frisk!_

Papyrus yelled “FRISK” as his voice would be the only one to carry over the sound of the wind. Sans watched as the kid jerked their head back towards the group of monsters, nervousness and fear evident on their face.

THUD. Frisk’s foot hit something buried in the snow and they cried out, falling and skidding a little. They put a hand out to stop themselves then quickly jerked it back in towards their chest, cradling it. Sans quickly checked their HP. _Oh…oh no. How are they already at .9? We can’t risk any kind of magic on them now._

“Grillby! Papyrus! Wait a second!” The other two monsters halted their chase and looked back.

“SANS, WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO STOP, WE HAVE TO CAPTURE FRISK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!” Papyrus cried out.

Sans caught up and said “Look, we can’t use our magic to create a cage of bones or to grab onto their soul. They are below 1 HP. We have to physically capture them now. You two keep going down this alley, I’m taking a shortcut ahead to cut them off.”

Grillby and Papyrus both nodded and turned back towards Frisk, who had managed to get up and start stumbling away again. Sans ducked back down so that Frisk wouldn’t see him and reappeared in a side street a little further along. _No, this isn’t a good place to corner them, but at least I can stop them from coming down here. I’ll just keep doing that until we can get them to come with us. Frisk, buddy, pal, I know you are determined, but so are we._

 

Frisk POV

  
Frisk clutched their arm closer to their chest and risked looking behind them again. _Besides, what are the odds that I’d trip over something twice?_ Over their shoulder they could see Grillby and Papyrus still coming their way. _Is Grillby melting the snow in his path? Okay, that just isn’t fair. Although I guess they never promised a fair fight. Why can’t they just let me leave in peace? I explained everything in the note, why didn’t they just read it and forget about me? That’s what everyone else has done._

Frisk saw a side street and got a burst of hope. _Maybe if I can make it out to the main road I can find somewhere to hide until they give up. The storm is really bad, I don’t think that even the fontbros can be out in it much longer and Grillby is using too much magic right now. I hope he doesn’t burn himself out trying to catch me, it’s bad enough knowing that I’ve probably already made everyone else mad._

They were at the side street, managing to make the turn quickly without falling, when they looked up and saw a field of blue. Falling back, they realized that they had almost run straight into Sans’ outstretched arms. _I should have known he would do something like this when I didn’t see him back there with them. I can still get away, I just have to get him to use his magic enough to need to take a break. Then Papyrus will take him home, and Grillby won’t be able to continue by himself. All I have to do is get Sans to tire himself out, then I’m home free, literally._

Sans was still holding his arms out, an odd look on his face. “Kid, please, stop running from us.”

Frisk turned and started to try and run again, attempting to get away from him faster. This made their chest hurt a little more and they started coughing, but couldn’t stop long enough to catch their breath. They were disheartened to see that in that small amount of time, Grillby and Papyrus managed to catch up a little. _He’s a distraction. He’s going to pretend that he cares until they can capture me, then they can hand me over to a foster agency and feel like they’ve done their good deed for the day. That must be why they keep chasing me, so that they can prove to the humans that they are willing to do the same things that humans do._

This thought made Frisk’s stomach feel sour and their soul hurt. They almost thought about giving up before remembering how bad it had been at the foster home, how no one had ever cared. _I should have known they would end up like the humans. I hoped that maybe they cared about me, but who would actually want to be around someone like me? The best thing for me to do is disappear where no one can hurt me again and I can’t hurt them._

Frisk slogged through the snow, barely managing to maintain their distance from Grillby and Papyrus. The coughing hadn’t stopped yet and Frisk’s ribs began aching from the pressure. They saw two more exits from the back alley ahead before it became a dead end. _I need to get through one of them somehow. Sans will most likely be waiting in the first one, but if I head to the second one he’ll go there. What if I pretend to ignore the first one and as soon as he teleports to the second turn around? If I’m lucky he’ll be too tired to go back, and if not, then I’ll be able to run past him before he can get his bearings. Those side streets are somewhat protected from the snow so I should be able to run through it quicker._

A deeper cough erupted from their lungs, pulling them back to the situation at hand. They were almost at the side street and Frisk thought they could just make out a glimmer of blue reflecting off the snow. They shifted their path a little to one that would take them safely out of reach of anyone waiting there. A quick glance to the side showed Sans, hands shoved in pockets, the strange look still on his face. _I know I’m not very good at reading facial features but I’m positive that the face he’s giving me means he is annoyed. I guess I would be too if the person I was trying to catch kept running away from me. He is probably furious with me, I bet they all are. Except maybe Papyrus, but I guess even he could get a little mad at me. This is the second time I’ve run from specifically him, he must think that this means we aren’t friends anymore. Well, if it keeps both of us safe, then I guess we can’t be. I’m sorry Papyrus, it’s for your own good._

Frisk went a couple feet past the side street, keeping a blank look on their face. Suddenly they pivoted around and hurried back, seeing that Papyrus and Grillby were still several yards away. Looking up, they saw the side street was wide open. _Yes! It worked! I have a chance to get away!_ Frisk dropped their head to let out a hacking cough, feeling gunk moving in their lungs but nothing coming out. They got it back under control and looked up again.

_NO!_ Sans was right in front of them, a hand reaching out, skeletal fingers about to close on the sleeve of their jacket. Frisk swung their arm to put it out of reach, hitting the skeleton’s hand in the process. Their eye’s widened a little and they scrambled away, tears frozen in their eyes. _I hit him! He must really hate me now. It was just an accident but he probably thinks I did it on purpose. Now he’s going to try to catch me just so he can punish me. He only liked me in the Underground because I didn’t hurt anyone. Now that I’ve hurt him there is no way that we’re still friends._

Frisk wobbled away, hardly able to keep their feet underneath them. They were coughing with every breath and could feel themselves becoming a little lightheaded from the exertion. _I just need to make it to that next alley. Sans has got to be tired by now, there is no way he can use his magic again, right?_ They pushed themselves to go faster, not even noticing that Papyrus and Grillby had gained on them and then slowed again, concern for their condition evident on the two monster’s faces.

Frisk went to round the corner to the last side passage and saw that Sans was once more waiting at the very front of it, a wall of glowing blue bones behind him. The slightest bit of sweat was starting to break out on his face. Frisk whirled their head and looked over at Grillby and Papyrus. The other two monsters had halted their approach, spreading apart to block the route back down the alley and the side street they had just passed.

“Papyrus! Put up a block!” Sans yelled over to his brother. Papyrus immediately responded by putting up his own wall of bones. Frisk was trapped in a cage with the three monsters. They shuffled backwards, arms held slightly outwards in defense.

Sans spoke again. “Grillby…” The fire monster nodded, apparently understanding the smaller skeleton’s intent. Frisk watched as he focused his eyes on them and took a step forward, hands held out slightly in front of him, body in a crouch.

Frisk jumped backwards and hit the fence that lined the other side of the alley, a small squeak escaping their lips in between coughs. Grillby’s eyes widened and he halted again, crouching down a little further. _No no no! He’s going to catch me and then they are just going to leave me at a foster home, just like my parents. I can’t do that again!_

Frisk turned and grasped the fence with their hands, attempting to climb it, ignoring the pain radiating through their left arm from their earlier fall. They heard shouts of alarm behind them and the sound of crackling fire grew nearer. They were halfway up when their foot slipped and they crashed back to the ground, landing on their feet only because of their hold on the fence.

Frisk pressed their back against the fence again, looking around at the three monsters. Grillby had taken several steps closer but now was crouching down again, just a few yards away. He had a pained look on his face, his eyes quickly checking over their form. Sans and Papyrus were maintaining their walls of bones, but Frisk could see the effort that it was taking Sans. Frisk swayed on their feet, their cough continuing almost non-stop. _I…just…have to…out last…Sans. I just…_ Frisk blinked, their thoughts becoming too disjointed to follow. Everything was going dimmer, like night was falling in the course of seconds. Their lungs and throat felt raw, but even the pain from that was fading. Frisk could only see a little in front of them by now. They managed to make out Sans dropping his wall of bones, his face just a blur. They went to take a step towards freedom but their foot didn’t catch them and they fell into darkness, just able to hear the shouts around them.

  
“FRISK!”

  
“Frisk!”

  
“KID!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, did I leave you on a cliffhanger? My bad *grins wickedly*
> 
> Two questions:  
> 1) I have a tumbler that I can post here if you want (not that anything is on it, but this is what people do apparently), so someone tell me if you want me to do that please?  
> 2) Does anyone have any questions they would like answered? They can be about the fic or even random stuff if you like. I normally answer questions left for me anyways, but I just wanted to put that out there so people wouldn't hesitate to ask.


	12. Trying to Ketch-up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I AM SO SORRY. I really did mean to put this up last night, but accidentally fell asleep around 8 after finishing my last exam and only woke up this morning around 9. This chapter wasn't even finished until 30 minutes ago so you all are actually as up to date on it as I am. 
> 
> Changed the formatting on this chapter so that anytime someone new speaks it is a different paragraph as I was told people prefer it like this. 
> 
> Exams were brutal, but thank you to everyone who wished me luck. On my take home biomechanics test one problem took me 6 hours and I'm not even totally sure that it was correct. It was the optional/extra credit question but considering the rest of the exam I had to attempt it :P So if you want to blame anyone, blame my profs. 
> 
> Now on to the fic!

Sans’ POV

  
Sans watched as Frisk rounded the corner, too focused on the ground below them to watch where they were going. He stretched his arms out, ready to catch them into a hug and keep them there until Grillby and Papyrus caught up. Unfortunately, Frisk looked up when they were just a couple steps away and their eyes widened in alarm, falling back on their butt and trying to scoot away from him. _So close…come on kid, it’s okay, you can trust us._

“Kid, please, stop running from us.” Sans said, not bothering to hide the concern crawling across his face. This only seemed to scare them more and they got up, turning and running back to the alley, a deep cough erupting from their lungs. _They are really sick, we absolutely have to catch them this time. If we don’t, well, I don’t like the kid’s chances of making it into the new year. And I’m pretty sure they injured their arm when they fell earlier._

Sans teleported to the next side street and waited, hands staying in his pockets this time. _Maybe that is what freaked them out last time. If I just wait patiently this time, maybe they’ll come to me._ The sound of coughing became louder, audible over the storm. _At least the wind has let up a little for now, even if the snow hasn’t._ A few moments later, he could see Frisk quickly stumbling down the alley, swinging slightly away from the side street. They glanced his way and continued onward, not even attempting to stop and get past him. As soon as they were past him he to a shortcut to what he knew to be the last side street before the dead end. _What are you playing at kid, you know I’ll just be waiting here. What’s your plan?_

Sans’ listened intently, thankful that he could hear more without the wind present. He heard their normal shuffling continue for a little longer, then a strange scraping sound. The shuffling started back up but to his dismay he realized it was getting softer. _They’re going back to that other street, knowing that I would move on ahead…heh, smart kid._ Sans pulled himself back through the shortcut he had just left and arrived in time to see them drop their head and let out a hacking cough that rattled their entire body.

Sans immediately took a step forward and reached out his hand, worrying that Frisk would collapse in the snow while coughing. He had almost managed to grasp their sleeve when Frisk looked up and swung their arm in panic. It hit his face but was so weak that he felt no pain. _I know you weren’t doing that on purpose, buddy, but it worries me that you have so little strength that you couldn’t even swing away hard enough that I felt it._

Meanwhile, Frisk looked panicked and scrambled away from him, distress written on their face. _Do…do they think they hurt me? Why do they look so scared…l i k e t h e y t h i n k I ‘ m g o i n g t o h u r t t h e m?_ Sans eyes flashed angrily before he could calm himself down. _Frisk, I don’t know what happened to you in the past, but we’re going to be here for you now, even if you don’t believe that. I guess we’ll just have to show you ourselves that we want you with us._

Sans waited until he was sure that Frisk wouldn’t try the same stunt again before jumping back to the last side street, immediately creating a wall of bones with his special attack so that there was no way for Frisk to slip through them. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long but he was hoping he wouldn’t have to. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Grillby and Papyrus had almost caught up with Frisk before falling back a little, not wanting to push the child into doing something even more drastic.

Frisk reached his street and halted, apparently realizing they were trapped in. They swung their head around to look back down the alley and Sans yelled out “Papyrus, put up a block!”

Papyrus understood what he meant and created his own wall of bones, thankfully doing so on this side of the second side street so that they were all trapped in a box. _We never wanted to cage you in Frisk, but you gave us no choice._ Sweat beaded up on his skull from maintaining his wall of bones. Sans looked back at Frisk and saw that they had shuffled back slightly, arms raised up in front of them as if to defend themselves from an attack. _No one is going to hurt you Frisk, we all just want to help._

  
Sans contemplate the next step and decided that Grillby might be the best one to approach, especially since he and Papyrus were expending their magic to hold the walls up. “Grillby…” Sans trailed off, not sure how to say what was needed without spooking Frisk.

Grillby nodded, however, and Sans gave a silent sigh of relief. The fire monster had been able to infer his intent and Sans watched as his favorite bartender and good friend crouched down further into the snow, not even minding that this put him closer to something that could potentially hurt him. _See Frisk, we are willing to do so much for you. We all care about you very much, please…please recognize that. Don’t keep pushing us away._

Grillby slowly took a step forward, his arms held up gently in an attempt to ease Frisks’ worries. This did not appear to work as Frisk quickly jumped back, hitting the chain-link fence behind them hard enough to rattle the nearby posts. Sans almost ran forward, but held himself back, his peripheral vision allowing him to see that Papyrus had done the same. Grillby had stopped and crouched down further at Frisks’ reaction to him, trying to make himself look as non-threatening as possible. Everyone was frozen for a moment in time; then Frisk quickly turned and began to try and climb the fence behind them. Sans shouted out “NO!” at the same time as Papyrus’ “WAIT!”

Grillby’s flames grew higher and loud in his alarm and he rushed towards them. Frisk had only made it halfway up the fence before their foot slipped and they fell towards the ground, the action freezing Sans’ heart. _Please don’t let them lose any more HP, we are so close to saving them._

Frisk spun back around to face the three monsters and Sans was relieved to see that while their HP was still under 1, it hadn’t dropped any further. That relief became panic when he noticed that Frisk was swaying on their feet, their eyes becoming more and more vacant. Even their coughing was becoming disrupted. He dropped the wall of bones he had created and rushed forward, only for Frisk to attempt to take a step and fall when he was still several yards away.

“KID” he screamed, hearing their name leave the other two monster’s lips. Grillby dove forward and managed to get his arms under their head as they fell. He had already pulled the child into his arms and was cradling them as Sans and Papyrus made it to the spot.

Papyrus began blubbering, concern and relief appearing in equal amounts. “WE FINALLY FOUND FRISK, BUT THEY ARE SO SICK, BUT WE CAN HELP THEM GET BETTER…RIGHT SANS? WE…WE CAN HELP THEM, RIGHT?”

Sans pulled his brother into a hug and reassured him “Yeah, Pap, don’t worry. We’ll help them.” Grillby cleared his throat and jabbed his head downwards. Frisk was shivering in his arms, the temperature outside too cold for even the fire monster to combat. Sans quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around Frisk, pulling the hood up over their head. Papyrus unwound his red scarf and wrapped it around their neck and face, leaving just enough room for Frisk to breathe.

After he finished, Grillby stood up, readjusting Frisk in his arms to hold them closer. Frisk let out a whimper and everyone paused, only relaxing when they watched the kid try to burrow further into Grillby’s warmth. “I guess they aren’t completely unconscious then…actually that might be a good thing.” Sans started to burrow his hands into the pockets on his pants, his face becoming triumph as he pulled out a ketchup packet.

Papyrus groaned. “SANS! PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THEM EAT KETCHUP! I DO NOT WANT THAT TO BE THE FIRST FOOD THEY GET TO HAVE NOW THAT THEY ARE RESCUED!”

“Don’t worry, Papyrus, I don’t think they’ll remember it. Besides, this will get their HP up to 1. Just think of it as a tomato smoothie.”

Papyrus looked torn, but a shivering cough from Frisk swayed him. “Okay brother, but just enough to get their HP to 1. It isn’t healthy for humans to drink as much ketchup as you do.”

Sans held the packet out to Grillby. “Grillbz, do you think you could warm it up a little? It’s kind of frozen right now.” Grillby sighed and held out his hand, wrapping his fingers around the packet that Sans dropped in it. After a few seconds he re-opened his fingers and Sans picked it back up.

“Pap, can you hold their head for me? Just make sure it stays upright so that the ketchup doesn’t slide into their airway.” Papyrus nodded and pulled the scarf covering Frisk’s face down a little, supporting their head with his other hand. Sans tore open the packet and placed it to their lips, squeezing a small amount of ketchup onto the inside of their bottom lip.

Frisk began to instinctively swallow it down and Sans had to chuckle a little when they scrunched up their face. “Come on kid, just a little more, that’s it…good job, Frisk, you finished it.” Sans put the empty wrapper back in his pocket (ignoring Papyrus’ shriek of indignation) and the trio waited, watching Frisk’s HP. They were rewarded with the sight of it climbing slowly back up to 1, hovering there.A collective sigh of relief occurred and Papyrus carefully re-covered Frisk’s face, tucking the ends of the scarf into place.

Grillby re-shifted Frisk so that their head was tucked against his neck and their body more parallel to his, allowing him to block them from the storm that was beginning to pick back up. “Where can we take them?” he half shouted, trying to make sure his voice was heard.

Sans shouted back “We’ll walk to our place, it is only about 5 minutes from here, although the weather will make the trip harder.”

Papyrus shouted as well, still louder than the other two “BUT SANS, DON’T WE NEED TO TAKE THEM TO A HOSPITAL?”

Sans shook his head. “We won’t be able to get to the hospital with them, Pap. I’m too tired to take a shortcut and I don’t even know how well they would handle it in their state anyways. Besides, Alphys promised me that she had some human medicine that should work just fine. One of the doctors she works with told her exactly what to get when Alphys explained Frisk’s symptoms to them. And once Toriel can make it over she can use her healing magic. Plus Frisk doesn’t seem to officially exist on any of the records we found, so who knows what would happen if we took them to the hospital right now. Tori will make sure they get checked out once this snow storm lets up.” Papyrus nodded, appeased with Sans’ answer.

Papyrus turned and strode out of the alley first, confidently leading the way back to their house. Grillby went next, trying to stay within the swathe of snow that Papyrus had already cut through. Sans followed up at the rear, shuffling forward slowly. _Wow, that really took it out of me, not that I’ve been taking the best care of myself lately anyways. Been too worried about the kid, and now we finally have them._ He stumbled a little and caught himself, a yawn escaping from him.

_Ugh, can’t take a nap now…need to take care of Frisk…_ Sans trailed off drowsily, only focusing on following the footprints on the ground. He didn’t hear the muted conversation ahead of him nor the sound of someone approaching. A pair of bony arms gently wrapped around him and pulled him up, the owner carrying him through the snow. Sans looked up at Papyrus. “Pap? Why did you pick me up?” Papyrus let out a huff, but Sans could tell he was concerned.

“YOU WERE GOING TOO SLOW BROTHER, WE’LL NEVER REACH OUR HOUSE IF WE WALKED AT YOUR PACE.”

Sans grinned tiredly “Sorry Pap, I have a tendon-cy to get bone tired after using my magic like that.” Papyrus harrumphed, but Sans could see the corners of his mouth perking up. _Everything is already starting to go back to the way it was. We just needed you with us, kid._

Sans reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Well, if you are willing to do the leg work, I’ll call Alphys.” Papyrus grumbled under his breath about brothers and terrible puns. Sans chuckled and dialed Alphys.

 

Undyne POV

  
Undyne crashed onto the couch next to Alphys, almost overturning the bowl of popcorn between them. “Oops, sorry babe. I just couldn’t wait to get under the blanket with you, it is way too cold out there.”

Alphys nodded “I’m glad you de-decided to hold off search-ching for F-Frisk in this weather. Hopefully the-they have hunkered down somewhere.”

Undyne set the bowl of popcorn on her lap so she could pull her girlfriend closer, pressing her face into Alphys’ shoulder. “I hope so too babe, because if not, I WILL BE EXTREMELY UPSET IF I FIND OUT!” She pulled her face back out and grabbed the remote. “Which episode were we on in that new cartoon you found, babe?” Undyne smiled at Alphys who blushed.

“Errr, 96 I think? And remember, it isn’t just a cartoon, it helps us catch up on a lot of human history that we missed!”

Undyne smirked. “Isn’t that what you said about anime?”

Alphys became even redder, somehow stuttering out “B-but Ani-maniacs isn’t l-like tha-t! THIS SHOW IS EDUCATIONAL AND WE ARE GOING TO LEARN FROM IT!” Alphys snatched the remote out of Undyne’s hand and started flicking through to the proper show, a small pout on her face. Undyne snickered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself and her girlfriend. _She is so cute when she gets riled up like that, and it is amazing how confident she is when she is passionate about something. I can’t help but love my girl._

_“Everybody knows about the ankle bone connected to the other bones you have inside your leg. And everybody knows, it’s true, without the bones inside of you, your body would become a scrambled egg. So the toe bone’s connected to the foot bone, and the foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone, and the slide is connected to the trombone!”_ Alphys turned bright red as Undyne burst out laughing.

“Already? We just watched this episode yesterday!” Undyne guffawed.

“I j-just thought it was p-perfect for Sans…” Alphys trailed off, hiding her face in a nearby pillow.

Undyne pulled Alphys upright. “Don’t worry, ya nerd, I think it is perfect too. Go ahead and answer, I’ll find the right episode.”

Alphys stuttered out a thanks and pulled out her cell phone. “H-hey Sa-“

Her face lit up and then dropped, making Undyne growl. Pulling the phone out of her girlfriend’s hand, she roared “WHAT DID YOU SAY SANS?!?”

“We found Frisk and they only have 1 HP. They actually dropped below that but we managed to get some ketchup in them. We need the medicine that Alphys has stocked, but I’m too tired to come over. Can you make sure Alphys gets over here with the meds? I know it’s a blizzard out there, but Frisk’s cough is even worse than you all described and if we don’t get some medicine in them soon…” Undyne’s eyes flashed and she gritted her teeth.

“Don’t worry, bone boy, I’ll get her over to you guys if I have to carry her myself. Besides, it will give me the chance to tell Frisk myself TO NEVER RUN FROM ME AGAIN BECAUSE TWICE IS FAR TOO MANY TIMES.”

“Yeah, me too, but in order to have that little talk we’ll need them healthy.” Undyne could tell Sans was forcing himself to stay positive about the situation.

_At least we have them now. And Sans has survived this long with 1 HP, so Frisk, as a human, should be able to get better in no time…I think._

Undyne got ready to say goodbye, but thought of something else. “You tell Toriel and Asgore yet?”

The sigh on the other end was her answer. “No, mostly because they live across town and there is no easy way for them to get to us. You guys at least live within walking distance. If I told Tori and Asgore now, Tori would probably hurt herself trying to get over here, and would hurt Asgore if he suggested that she wait a little. Besides, I don’t want to tell her that her kid was so close to…escaping again.”

Undyne knew he didn’t mean to say that, but the pause told her Papyrus was near and she could even hear his voice asking a question of Sans. “Thanks for letting me know, and as soon as Alphys and I layer up we’ll be over there. Nothing is going to keep us from coming to help Frisk.”

“Thanks Undyne, and give Alphys my thanks as well. We are almost back to our place. Luckily Grillby was here to carry the kid and keep them warm on the trip. See you when you make it over.”

Undyne hung up and turned back to Alphys, who had been scurrying around collecting bottles and muttering under her breath. “Okay, babe, let’s get ready to save a human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No cliff-hanger this time! Woot!
> 
> I want to write two chapters before posting again so I won't try to promise to have another up until I get a better idea of when that will be. It still shouldn't be longer than a week though.
> 
> “Bones in the Body” is from episode 91 of Animaniacs, written by Randy Rogel
> 
> The first person who can tell me the name that that song is based off of can ask me 3 personal questions (not name or identifiers, but secrets, wishes, dreams, how to solve a free-body diagram question, etc is fine) if they choose.


	13. Waking Up Inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I managed to get a little writing done this week so I feel a little more caught up. Thanks for sticking with me so far! I have to say, I nearly cried at some of the comments I received. Thank you all so much for your kind words! My anxiety has actually been really bad the past few days and just seeing how many people are reading this fic and enjoying it makes me feel so much better.

Frisk’s POV

_Warmth, the kind that they hadn’t felt in months. It was still so very cold._

_Hands, wrapping them in more warmth. They were picked up, arms secure around their body. Their wrist was jostled. Ouch. A whimper escapes them. They push themselves closer to the warmth, their shivering slowing._

_Voices surround them. They think they remember these voices, but they are tired and sore. Their lungs ache and they cough. The voices stop, then start again._

_The hands are back. The hands are strange, but so very familiar. One set holds their head, keeping it upright. They just want to sleep, why won’t the hands let them sleep?_

_Something was placed at their lips. Food? They swallow. Ketchup??? Gross, but at least it put something in their stomach. One voice is coaxing them, praising them. Did they do something right for once?_

_Another sound, getting louder. The wind? But, they didn’t feel cold. The warmth was there, holding them close._

_Movement, but they weren’t moving. Being carried, someone cared? The voices, perhaps._

_The wind was gone. So was the cold. The voices surrounded them. They sounded concerned. And excited. Strange mix._

_Another set of arms was holding them. Not as warm. An involuntary whimper. They wanted the warmth back._

_Moving again, but not as long. Being shifted around. Was that a door closing?_

_Softness. They wanted to curl deeper into it, but stay in the arms. The arms felt safe._

_They were let go. No! They let out a little cry. The hands were back, rubbing their head. A voice, comforting them. They hadn’t been left again._

_They were still tired. Maybe it was time to rest. The hand left their head, but returned with blankets. More warmth. The hand carefully moved their hurt wrist. It was put on top of their chest. Good. It was safer there._

_Sleep was calling. They answered._

_Peace._

 

Sans’ POV

Papyrus led the way into the house, depositing Sans on his feet as soon as they were through the door. Grillby followed, still holding Frisk. The flame monster looked weary, but his arms were steady around the child. Frisk had pressed themselves as close to Grillby as possible, and their face was barely visible at his shoulder.  For the first time, Sans thought they looked content, happy with life.

Papyrus announced “I WILL GO MAKE MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI FOR THE HUMAN! THAT WAY THEY CAN GET THE UNBEARABLE TASTE OF KETCHUP OUT OF THEIR MOUTH.” He bounded into the kitchen, excited to do his part in healing Frisk. Sans gave a wary glance to Grillby.

The fire monster sighed, then nodded. Sans called out to Papyrus. “Hey Pap, sick humans aren’t…able…to appreciate your spaghetti properly. Why don’t you let Grillby show you how to make soup for Frisk? Sick humans eat it all the time and then you can save your spaghetti for when they are better.”

Papyrus stuck his head out of the kitchen. “I HAVE HEARD OF USING SOUP AS WELL BROTHER. IS IT CONSIDERED HUMAN MEDICINE?”

Sans forced a grin. “Sure Papy, that’s a good way to think of it. Grillby knows a good recipe that will heal them quickly. Why don’t you learn it and if they ever get hurt again you’ll be ready.”

Papyrus pondered it a moment before replying “THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA SANS! EVEN THOUGH I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY SICK HUMANS ARE NOT ABLE TO APPRECIATE MY SPAGHETTI, I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET FRISK HEALTHY!”

Sans gave a genuine smile at that. “I know you will bro. You always give it your all.”

“OF COURSE I DO! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NYEH HEH HEH!”

Sans drifted closer to Grillby. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him. He means well, but I just want to make sure that what we give Frisk isn’t going to make them sicker. Normally they would stomach whatever he throws at them but right now...” he glanced down at Frisk, unable to contain his fears any longer “…I just don’t know how much more they can handle. I better get them up to Pap’s room, it’s a bit cleaner and looks a lot like the one he had underground. Maybe they’ll be comforted by waking up somewhere that is kind of familiar.” _At least, that is what I hope. But something gives me the impression that I’m going to have to figure out a way to block off the window and door so they can’t easily leave. Jeez, it really is going to feel like a prison for them. Nothing to be done about that right now though, keeping them safe is more important._

Grillby gave a tired nod and shifted Frisk so that Sans could get his arms around them.  As he pulled them away from the fiery bartender Frisk let out a whimper again, causing the two monsters to pause in their actions. _Did we jostle their wrist or something?_ His unspoken question was answered when the child shivered slightly in his arms. Grillby blinked and held up his arms again, ready to take Frisk back despite his own exhaustion. Sans shook his head. “Don’t worry about it Grillby, I’m going to put them straight to bed. They’ll be warm enough under the covers. You look kind of burnt out there, anyways. After helping Papyrus make the soup, why don’t you catch some z’s in my room?” Grillby gave him a cynical look and Sans chuckled. “Hey, I know what you are thinking, and I’ll have you know that my room is actually pretty clean right now. It was kind of a Christmas present to Pap.”

Satisfied, Grillby ducked his head again in assent and shuffled off to the kitchen, exhaustion stalling his movements. Sans immediately headed up the stairs to Papyrus’ room. They had found a place that was similar to their house underground, with a couple differences scattered throughout. Papyrus’ room was still the first room up at the top of the stairs, but the door was placed further down the hall. Instead along the wall on the second floor landing anyone on the stairs was greeted with pictures of the brothers, along with one or two of them with their group of friends. Looking at the pictures as he carried Frisk up, Sans clenched his jaw. _We don’t even have a good picture of you, kid. All we have are the images from Alphys’ cameras, and not even one of all of us together. These pictures feel incomplete without you in them._

Sans got to the top of the stairs and made a right, walking a few steps until he stood in front of his brother’s bedroom door. He carefully shifted Frisk in his arms, doing his best not to disturb them or their wrist. _I guess I could use my magic to open the door, but I’m going to need whatever energy I have left to do what I have in mind. Not that it is that draining, but I don’t know how long I’ll have to keep it up._

He got the door open and walked in, using his foot to shut the door behind him. Shambling over to the bed, Sans cautiously put Frisk in Papyrus’ bed. He kept his arms around them for a moment longer, making sure that they were settled comfortably in. _It is definitely not because I’m scared that I’ll lose them as soon as I let go. That would be completely and utterly ridiculous._ Sans sighed and removed his arms from around Frisk, turning to grab a blanket from the bottom of the bed.

He jolted when he heard Frisk cry out and instantly turned back to them. “Frisk? You okay buddy?” The kid’s face was scrunched a little and they were shifting on the bed. Sans placed his hand on their head and they stilled, their face relaxing. “It’s okay pal, I’m here. Don’t worry, you are safe now.” He continued rubbing their head, combing his phalanges through their hair. Slowly, Frisk settled further into the bed and their body relaxed. Sans took a chance and removed his hand again to grab the blankets. He pulled them up around the child, tucking them around their body. He paused to carefully pull out their hurt wrist and placed it on their chest, then finished tucking them in. _I want to inspect their wrist but it might be better to wait until they are conscious, or at least for Alphys to arrive. I know my own bones well enough but humans are wrapped in a lot of other organic materials. Palpating it doesn’t seem to bother them too much though so I suspect it is just a wrist sprain._

Sans slumped a little and grabbed Papyrus’ chair, pulling it over near the bed. Judging from the noises in the kitchen, Grillby was making the soup fresh so he had a little time to nap. Before he drifted off to sleep, however, he lifted his hand and gave it a wave. A blue sheen appeared on the window and the door before fading, hints of the magic he had cast visible at the edges. _There. If anyone without magic tries to go through the window or door, they will be repelled. Let’s see you run away from us now, kid._

 

Frisk’s POV

Frisk’s eyes shot open, waking up from their nightmare. For some reason they were back underground but instead of sparing everyone, they had killed all of their friends. They had arrived at the Judgement Hall to be met by Sans, where he laid out all of their transgressions. They had woken up just after he told them that they should burn in hell. _It’s okay, it didn’t happen, I didn’t kill anyone…but I did hurt Sans in the alley. What if this was a warning? If I stay with them, I’ll just end up hurting everyone and driving them away. I need to run. But, where am I?_

Frisk sat up slowly, taking in their surroundings. _It looks like…Papyrus’ room, underground. OH NO, DID I ACCIDENTALLY DIE AND RESET? SANS IS GOING TO HATE ME SO MUCH! I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE TO FREE THE MONSTERS AGAIN! And this time, I won’t make the mistake of sticking nearby. I’ll go far away where I can’t possibly hurt them. They don’t deserve to have to deal with my mistakes._ Frisk swung their legs out of bed and had almost touched their feet to the floor when they heard a muffled snore. Frozen, they looked up and saw Sans sitting in a chair near the end of the bed, still asleep. They remained frozen just in case he was faking and took the time to study his features. _He looks…haggard. Is it because I hurt him in the alley, or because whatever save point I’ve landed at was a time when he was really tired? Although I don’t remember ever saving here, but I might have. Either way, I bet he is just waiting for me to wake up so that he can deal with me._

Frisk eased out of the bed, noting that they didn’t feel quite as bad as they remembered. Their wrist still hurt but it was more of an achy pain then the sharp pain when it first happened. They tiptoed over to the door and went to grab the handle, only to stop when they heard Papyrus’ voice downstairs. _I can’t go out that way, Papyrus would probably see me. I know his room is on the second floor but maybe the snow below the window would cushion my fall if I jumped out of it. It is better than waiting here at least._ They gingerly walked around Sans to the window and looked out into the snow. Taking one last glance behind them, they reached for the lock to undo it and…couldn’t make it. Frisk frowned and tried again, with the same result. It seemed that once they were an inch away from the window itself, they were hitting an invisible boundary.  Frisk became alarmed and quickly crossed back over to the door, only to discover that they weren’t able to touch the doorknob, no matter how hard they tried. Muffling a sob, Frisk ran back to the window and began to try and beat the glass, doing anything they could to touch the window itself so they could free themselves.

“Heh, that’s kind of rude. You already left without saying goodbye before and now you are going to do it again? Papyrus would be heartbroken.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally saw the end of season 3 of RWBY. HOLY REFRIGERATOR. I declare it to be #feelsweek once more. Yes, we are going to have more than one of these. Between nearly crying over comments and RWBY I have most definitely been feeling the feels.  
> As always, feel free to hit me up with questions or comments! They are usually the highlight of my day.


	14. Feeling Not So Soup-er

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT HAS ONLY BEEN 5 DAYS HUMANS! Or, non-humans. Whatever, I don't judge.  
> This chapter, along with the prior one and the next one, were all originally planned to be just one chapter. Although based on the Christmas arc, I can't say anyone is surprised about this. So here, have some feels. This chapter made me update the tags.

Frisk’s POV

Frisk stood still facing the window, petrified. They risked a look behind them and saw that Sans was still sitting in the chair. He looked exactly how he had minutes ago, but instead his eye sockets were open and they were the focus of the pin-points of light within their depths. _Is he glaring at me? He really is mad then, I messed up so much. I have to fix this right away!_ Frisk opened their mouth to plead with Sans to let them do what was necessary, but found themselves unable to form the words. Their jaw quivered and they pulled their hands into fists and relaxed them again, attempting to gather the determination to speak. Steeling themselves, they closed their mouth firmly then re-opened it, when a coughing fit came over them. Hacking, they were bent over in an effort to breathe. They saw Sans’ slippers out of the corner of their eye and whipped their head up to discover that he had walked over while they were coughing. The look on his face had softened ever so slightly, and he carefully reached out a hand to place it on Frisk’s shoulder. _Now he just pities me. Can’t I do anything right?_

Frisk leaned away from his touch, managing to halt their coughing on their own. Sans’ glare returns and he starts to speak. “Listen kid,-“

Papyrus burst into the room. “SANS, I HAVE PREPARED THE SOUP AS REQUESTED! IS THE HUMAN AWA-“ Papyrus halted when he saw them standing by his window, Sans partially shielding their body. Papyrus rushed forward. “HUMAN! YOU ARE AWAKE! THIS MAKES ME VERY HAPPY! SANS SAID THAT YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO EAT SPAGHETTI RIGHT NOW SO INSTEAD I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE PREPARED YOU A NUTRITIONAL MEAL OF SOUP INSTEAD! BUT WAIT! SHOULD YOU BE OUT OF BED SO SOON? LET ME HELP YOU BACK INTO IT!”

Frisk pressed themselves against the wall, tears falling from their eyes. _I must be back in the underground if he is calling me human! I am the worst friend- no, after this, I don’t deserve to be called anyone’s friend._ Meanwhile Papyrus had slowed down and was glancing between Sans and Frisk worriedly.

“Err, Sans? Are they okay?” Papyrus quieted his voice to a more normal indoor level.

Sans gave his brother a reassuring smile. “Yeah, bro, I’m sure they are okay. They must be a little overwhelmed and happy that you made something for them.”

Papyrus laughed. “NYEH HEH HEH, DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN! I TOO GET VERY EXCITED ABOUT FOOD! BUT, I DON’T THINK I HAVE EVER CRIED THIS MUCH TO RECEIVE A BOWL OF SOUP. ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE OKAY? I AM HERE IF YOU NEED TO TALK. AFTER ALL, WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?”

Frisk started sobbing harder at his words and Papyrus stared at Sans, begging for help. Sans patted Papyrus’ back. “You did a good job bro, I think they just need a moment. Hey, why don’t you find that outfit that you got for them? I’m sure that once they eat they would appreciate cleaning up a bit and putting on some clean clothes.”

Papyrus perked up at this. “OKAY BROTHER, I REMEMBER WHERE I PUT IT FOR SAFE KEEPING. I WILL ALSO GET A BATH READY FOR THE TINY HUMAN!” Taking one last look at Frisk, Papyrus rushed out of the room after placing the tray of soup down on the bedside table, nearly bumping into Grillby who was barely visible at the edge of the doorframe. Sans gave a nod of thanks and the flame monster waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, then motioned down the hall towards Sans’ room. The skeleton nodded again and Grillby waved his thanks, backing away from the door to pursue some much needed rest.

Sans turned around to Frisk, who was staring fearfully back at him. _Who was he just motioning to? It was probably just Papyrus, I can’t think of who else would visit the brothers at their house down here and not say a word._ Frisk watched Sans as he stood there a moment longer before he walked closer towards them again. Frisk let out a small cry and shielded themselves with their hands. _This is the part where he punishes me for messing up._ But as the seconds ticked past and nothing touched them, Frisk looked up to see that Sans had halted a step away and had his hand outstretched. The strange look was back on his face but he didn’t move an inch, instead just keeping his hand steady out in front of him. After another minute of waiting like this, Sans apparently decided he needed to say something.

“Pal, do you need a hand up? I’m sure that soup over there is getting cold. Wouldn’t you prefer to eat it warm?” Frisk ducked their head back down a bit, but shakily lifted their uninjured arm and put their hand in Sans’. _Even if he is going to hurt me, it is better to just get it over with._ They were surprised when he gently led them back to the bed and helped them in it before handing them one of the two bowls of soup on the tray. Taking the other bowl for himself, Sans settled back into his chair and grabbed his spoon, lifting some of the soup up to his mouth. He paused right before he begain eating. “Kid? I don’t think you are able to stare at the food and get energy from it. I’m not expert on humans, but I’m pretty sure you actually need to eat it. Besides, it isn’t like we poisoned it or anything, and you are a little low on HP there, so eat up.”

Frisk managed to still the shaking in their limbs enough to clutch the bowl, then dragged one hand to the spoon and lifted it. The contents of the spoon jiggled with their shaking and half of it spilled while they stared at the spoon. _I don’t know that I can do all of this over again, but I must! They should be free. And apparently I’m the only one able to make that happen._

“Hey.”

_But seeing them all again, and befriending everyone again…it will just make it harder to leave when I re-break the barrier._

“Hey, kid.”

_Sans has mentioned the reset yet. Maybe he knows I didn’t do it on purpose? I don’t even remember it happening!_

“KID!”

Frisk was startled and dropped their spoon back in the bowl, nearly overturning the bowl itself. An aura of blue magic surrounded it just before it tipped over and picked it up, bringing it to rest on the bedside table. Frisk stared at their lap, too worried and scared to look up at Sans. A bony hand came into their field of vision before gently nudging their chin up. “You okay there, bud? You weren’t even trying to eat.”

Frisk pulled their chin back down and scrunched themselves into a ball, unwilling to answer. They hear a sigh and the clinking of a spoon. _He’s gone back to eating. That’s good. He doesn’t need to waste his time on-_

A spoonful of soup appeared under their face. Surprised, they look at it and then up to Sans. He had moved to sit on the edge of the bed and was holding their bowl of soup in the hand still in his lap, the other direction the spoon closer to their mouth. His own bowl of soup sat neglected next to his chair. “Come on, kiddo, you need to eat something. Please…just work with me here.”

Frisk obediently opens their mouth and Sans carefully tipped the spoonful of soup in, not spilling a single drop. Frisk could feel the warmth seep into them a little and their stomach rumbled, signaling that more was needed. Sans already had another spoonful of soup ready but this time Frisk slid the spoon out of his hand and put it into their mouth themselves. Sans’ eyes looked a little brighter and he shifted their bowl of soup closer to them, still keeping a hand on it. Frisk ate a couple more bites before pulling the bowl of soup back onto their lap, freeing Sans’ hands. Another minute later they felt the weight on the bed lift and glanced up to see that Sans had moved back to his chair, picking up his own bowl of soup. _He’s just getting me to eat so that I’m strong enough to get through the underground again. Well, at least the soup is tasty. This is the best meal I’ve had since the last time I was down here._

Frisk kept their focus on their bowl of soup after that and was surprised when they managed to finish it. The warmth spread through their limbs and they felt the best they had in weeks, possibly months. They welcomed the contentment they were experiencing but were still unsure of what was going to happen next. _Maybe now that I’ve eaten they will let me continue on my way. I wonder what save point I have ended up at? It doesn’t appear to be my latest save but the timeline also hasn’t reset completely. This is so strange. Sans might know what is going on, but I don’t really want to remind him of my mistake by asking._

Sans’ hand appeared in their vision again and Frisk blinked, their thoughts interrupted. He grabbed the bowl from their lap and placed it back on the bedside table. “You can have a bit more later on, but it is best not to overfill your stomach right now. Don’t want you puking everything up.”

_Yeah, because then you would feel obligated to clean up after the disgusting human._ Frisk simply nodded their head and kept their eyes on their hands, fingers intertwining together. The silence in the room grew, becoming nearly suffocating. Frisk heard Sans shifting in his seat and peeked up to find him rubbing his jaw with his phalanges. “Err, so kid, do you-“

“BROTHER! I HAVE FINISHED FILLING THE BATHTUB AND PULLED OUT CLOTHES FOR THE TINY HUMAN! DO THEY NEED ASSISTANCE BATHING?” Papyrus bounded back into the room. “YOU BOTH FINISHED EATING? GOOD! I’M SO GLAD YOU THOUROUGHLY ENJOYED THE SOUP, NYEH HEH HEH HEH!”

Frisk had reddened when Papyrus had asked if they needed assistance and hints of blue had crept onto Sans’ skull. “I think they’ll be able to take a bath by themselves just fine, Pap.”

“BUT WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM WHILE THEY ARE BATHING? THE GREAT PAPYRUS WON’T BE ABLE TO RESCUE THEM!”

“No worries, Papyrus, they are tough. They managed to battle you, didn’t they?”

Papyrus nodded worriedly. “IF YOU SAY SO, SANS. I AM GOING TO GO MAKE SPAGHETTI!”

Frisk scrunched themselves up near the head of the bed and pushed closer to the wall. _Why do they keep trying to take care of me? Don’t they get what I’ve done? I mean, Papyrus doesn’t, but Sans should realize it. Why do they even care?_

A hand gently dropped onto their shoulder and rubbed the skin. Fearfully, Frisk peeped sideways and discovered that Sans had stood up and was leaning closer to them. “Bud? You okay? You’re looking a little pale.”

Frisk forced themselves to nod, not wishing the skeleton to worry any further. Sans’ expression was hard to read as he studied them for a couple more seconds before nodding himself. “Okay then. Do you need any help getting to the bathroom?”

Frisk shook their head and cautiously scooched towards the edge of the bed. Sans backed off a little while they did that, but remained within easy reach. _Probably to make sure I don’t try to get away before he can have a talk with me. So far Papyrus has burst in every time he makes an attempt, but my luck won’t hold out forever. I’d rather get it over with but he seems insistent on me taking a bath first. I guess it will be nice to be clean, even though I think at this point in the underground I wasn’t too bad. Still, the warm water will feel good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask, no, Frisk does not seem to be picking up on the hints that there is no way they reset, such as the fact that their wrist still hurts. They are just so focused on the minute possibility that they made a mistake that they currently refuse to accept any other explanation. 
> 
> I wish I had a ringtone to put here, I really do. It would make writing and posting this chapter less heartbreaking.


	15. A Read Letter, A Worn Sweater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOI! Grad school is a pain but you all are not so here is the next chapter! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to make...

Frisk’s POV

Frisk eased themselves to their feet, then took a step and stumbled. Sans was holding them in a flash, making sure they didn’t drop all the way to the ground.  “Falling for me there, kid? And here I was thinking Papyrus was the one you were flirting with.” He scooped them up and held them bridal style. “Maybe it will just be easier if I gave you a lift.”

Sans walked over to the door but they were once more unable to get through the frame. “Oops. Guess we don’t need that anymore.” San muttered, and the blue tint surrounding the door was gone. _So it was Sans’ magic that was keeping me trapped. I guess he wanted to be positive that I couldn’t run away without him giving me a talking to about resetting. He doesn’t trust me now._

He carried them gently into the bathroom and set them down beside the tub full of water. Frisk had to stifle a giggle when they saw what Papyrus had done. There were at least 20 rubber ducks floating on top of the water, each one unique. There was even one that was wearing a black skeleton costume. Sans realized what had caught Frisk’s attention and chuckled. “Guess he wanted to make sure you got squeaky clean.”

Frisk paused, confused. _He keeps just joking with me and making puns. I don’t get it, he should hate me right now. I know he remembers the reset but I can’t figure out what is going on here. Why doesn’t he just yell or punish me? That’s what I deserve. Besides, it isn’t like they could ever really be my friends anyways. I always do the wrong thing when it comes to making friends, just like I did now._

A tug on their sleeve pulled Frisk out of their spiraling anxiety. “Kid? I’m going to leave to you to take your bath alone, but don’t close the door, okay? Pap is really worried about something happening to you in the tub. No one will come into the bathroom while you are in here.”

Frisk gave a small nod, not making eye contact with the skeleton. Sans stayed a moment longer before letting go of their sleeve and slipping out the door, closing it until just a sliver of the hallway could be seen.  Once they were sure they were alone, they stripped down and climbed into the bathtub, sinking into the water blissfully. _I’ll figure out what is going on here…after I enjoy this bath._

Sans’ POV

Sans pulled the door close until it was barely cracked open, but kept a hold of the doorknob. He stood there for 3 minutes, trying to reassure himself that the child in the room before him would be just fine to be left alone while they bathed. _I don’t understand, they were never this scared of me Underground. They never even had to face me off in the Judgment Hall. Yet every time I or anyone else gets close to them they act like they are going to be punished. I don’t even know how to reassure them at this point because it doesn’t seem like they are going to believe a single word I say. Heck, they were even scared of Papyrus, and he is the kindest dude around. I admit that sometimes he can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe they are acting so scared right now because they are used to being by themselves out wherever they were living. Suddenly having people around all the time must be a bit of a shock. Plus they were so close to…falling down. Perhaps if we give them some time to be by themselves they will be able to relax more around us. I’d rather keep them in sight just to make sure they are okay, but if alone time is what they need, we’ll do what is best for them._

Sans sighed and shuffled over to the stairs, halting at the top. _Wait, did Grillby say they left a note behind? They might have explained why they kept running from us or why they are acting so skittish right now. I hope Grillby still has it; I find it highly unlikely he’d throw something that important away._

Sans whipped back around and walked briskly over to his own room, pausing outside the door. _Grillby is probably asleep, but this is pretty important._  He knocked gently on the door just in case Grillby was still awake. When he didn’t get a response, Sans slipped inside. Grillby was passed out face first on his mattress with his legs hanging off the side. _Looks like he was too tired to even lay down properly._

Sans approached Grillby and gently shook his arm. “Grillbz? Hey, I need you to wake up real quick. Grillby?”

The flame monster shot up and glanced around, only half aware of the situation. “Is something wrong with Frisk?” Grillby asked, realizing that Sans was standing in front of him.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. You still have the note they left behind?” Sans questioned. Grillby nodded and pulled a piece of red-and-white striped wrapping paper out of his pocket and handed it over. “Thanks Grillbz. Go back to your sleep-cycle, you are too-tired to be awake right now.”

Grillby huffed but didn’t try to dispute the pun, instead flopping back down on the mattress. “Out like a light, huh Grillby?” Sans was treated to a groan and the fire monster’s arm came away from his side to try and push the skeleton from the room. “Alright, I’m going, no need to get so fired up.” Grillby had apparently decided to ignore Sans, focusing his attention on the pillow below him. Sans took a moment to make sure his friend was fully on the bed before he left the room with a snicker.

Sans hesitated outside the bathroom door, resisting the urge to check on Frisk. _Remember, give the kid a little privacy. Besides, if they do anything or I hear something strange, I can be there in no time at all._ He walked partway down the steps and looked into the kitchen. Papyrus was happily humming as he prepared a mountain of pasta for everyone that would be coming over. _That ought to keep him busy for the entire time Frisk is bathing. Don’t want the kid to freak out if he walks in on them. They’ll need to be physically checked over eventually, but we can leave that for Alphys when she arrives._

Ducking into Papyrus’ bedroom, Sans slumped back into his chair and glanced back at the paper in his hand. _I shouldn’t put this off any longer. Guess it is time to hopefully find out why the kid has been acting the way that they have. With any luck this letter will give us the answers to some long-standing questions._ Sans opened up the note and began to read.

“Dear Everyone...”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“…Best Wishes, Frisk” Sans’ hands were trembling by the time he read the signature. He hadn’t even gotten through the first paragraph of the child’s letter before the whites of his eyes blinked out, leaving nothing but darkness in his sockets. _What in the hell has happened to this child? Why…why would they think any of this?_

Sans glared at the floor, not really seeing anything in front of him. His mind filtered through all of his experiences with Frisk, and his grip on the paper got tighter. The crinkling brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced at the letter lying crumpled in his hands. With a sigh he carefully smoothed it out a little. _The others…they need to read this. But not yet, I’ll wait to hand it over until they are all together. Speaking of which..._

Sans pulled out his phone. He had planned to wait to call Toriel and Asgore until once he was sure Frisk was going to be okay, but from the looks of the letter they hadn’t ever been that way. The soup had at least gotten them up to 10 HP and Alphys’ medicine would hopefully take care of the rest. Pausing over his contact list, he debated which of the two he would call. He was friendlier with Toriel, but right now he needed to get the information delivered quickly. Asgore was normally quite chatty but his time as King had made him succinct when the situation demanded. He pressed call and waited.

“Howdy, Sans! What can I do for you?” Asgore’s voice rumbled over the phone.

“We found Frisk, and-“

“YOU FOUND FRISK? Where are they, I can be right there! Who else have you called? Do-“

Sans interrupted the line of questioning. “Asgore, they are here at our house, but they aren’t doing so hot. Alphys is on her way with that medicine, but you and Toriel need to make it over when you can. There is some information that everyone needs to hear. Just, be safe doing it. Frisk needs everyone, but trying to drive across town in the middle of a snow storm is just going to get people hurt.”

The line was silent for a moment. “I understand, Sans. It looks like the worst of the storm is almost over, and I’ll try to stall Tori a little bit until I’m sure that my truck can make it through. Maybe I can convince her to make some pie to bring over. Do you all need anything else?”

Sans thought for a moment. “The pie would be good, but I figured they would be going back with you two after the storm. They might like a stuffed animal? And if you have any tea that can help keep them calm and relaxed, bring it.”

“I have just the thing, and I know Tori already placed a few toys in their future room. We’ll put together a bag to bring with us. Thank you for letting me know, Sans. We will make it over as soon as we can.”

Hanging up the phone, Sans strode out of Papyrus’ bedroom and stopped in front of the bathroom, his hand raised to knock. He could hear gentle movement in the water with the occasional splash from water being poured out of a cup. _They are probably washing their hair right now. I need to confront them about this, I need to know why they wrote what they did. I need to confirm my suspicions about what they have gone through._

His hand remained paused in the air, however, his fist clenching and unclenching as he tried to convince himself to knock. _I need to know, I need to know what we are dealing with. I need to…I need to let them finish their bath in peace. Judging by how they acted earlier, they are nowhere near ready for the kind of conversation that is going to be, and it would most likely just drive them away._ Sans dropped his hand and leaned his head against the doorframe. _Frisk, kiddo, what have the humans done to you? They call us monsters but many of them are much more deserving of that title._

He forced himself to back away from the door and walked down the stairs. He could still hear Papyrus in the kitchen. _I guess I should warn him that Asgore and Toriel are going to be coming over, although I’m sure he has prepared enough food to last a week. I also need to warn him not to question Frisk to much right now, otherwise he could upset them without realizing it and that would make him feel even worse._

Bracing himself for the conversation ahead, he wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of ketchup from the fridge before plopping himself at the table. Papyrus turned around and snatched the bottle out of his hands.

“SANS! I KNOW THAT YOU DRINK THIS REGULARLY BUT WE ARE ABOUT TO HAVE SPAGHETTI WITH EVERYONE! CAN’T YOU WAIT?”

Sans directed his left hand towards the bottle and it floated back over towards him, allowing him to take swig before answering Papyrus. “Not really bro.”

Papyrus’ face immediately looked concerned and he sat down opposite of Sans. “Brother, what is wrong? Why are you so unhappy? We have Frisk back now, and everything is going to be alright.”

Sans tipped the bottle of ketchup back one more time before screwing the top on. “Listen, Pap, I think there are some things that Frisk isn’t telling us. I read the letter that they tried to leave at Grillby’s.”

Papyrus exclaimed “I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE LETTER! SANS, WHERE IS IT? I WANT TO READ IT.”

Sans shook his head slowly. “Not yet, bro, it might be better to wait for everyone else to arrive. By the way, I just called Asgore and told him that we have Frisk. He and Toriel are going to pack up some stuff and come over once the storm dies down enough. From what I can tell he’s just as eager to take care of that kid as she is.”

“But Sans, I thought you said you wanted to wait until we gave Frisk the medicine before you told anyone else.”

“Err, well, there are some…extenuating circumstances. Don’t worry, Asgore won’t let Toriel try to run all the way here in this weather. Speaking of which, have you heard from Alphys or Undyne?”

Papyrus brightened “YES, UNDYNE JUST CALLED AND SAID THAT THEY WERE VERY CLOSE. SHE ALSO SAID THAT SHE WAS VERY ANGRY AND WANTS TO HAVE A TALK WITH HER SUPPOSED BEST FRIEND.”

Sans huffed. “Well, that talk may have to wait. Frisk isn’t in the best condition right now mentally, at least from what I could tell of their letter. They think they are a terrible human being. They actually believe they don’t deserve to be happy, to be part of our lives. And some of what is implied, I just can’t believe humans would treat children like that. I don’t know how-“ Sans cut himself off. “Did you hear a door close?”

Papyrus shot up and raced out of the kitchen. “I’M GOING TO CHECK ON FRISK!”

Frisk POV

Frisk climbed out of the bathtub, shivering in the cool air. They wrapped the towel around themselves and quickly dried off, not wanting to waste any time. _I’ve already been here too long, I need to get out of here before they all get even more mad at me. I don’t even know how far back I reset, just that I at least made it to Snowdin. I might have a very long way to go again._

They looked over the clothing that Papyrus had left in here for them. _Is that…a meatball onesie? Did they buy this just for me? They must have, it still has the price tag on it and everything. Why did they bother spending money on me? I don’t deserve to have anything like this._

Instead Frisk pulled on their old, worn, dirty clothes; the memories from traveling through the Underground slipping back into their mind. They carefully hung up their towel so that no one else would have to do it and tiptoed towards the bathroom door, taking a quick peek into the hallway before opening it. They crept down the hallway, hesitating at the top of the stairs. They couldn’t see either of the brothers, but Sans’ ability made it difficult to predict anything. Suddenly Papyrus’ voice boomed out of the kitchen. “YES, UNDYNE JUST CALLED AND SAID THAT THEY WERE VERY CLOSE. SHE ALSO SAID THAT SHE WAS VERY ANGRY AND WANTS TO HAVE A TALK WITH HER SUPPOSED BEST FRIEND.”

Frisk let out a silent gasp. _Undyne is coming? At least she said I was her bestie, but she didn’t call me by my name either. No one has said anything about Mettaton, I might have to go to Hotlands next. I am not looking forward to this, but I’ll do whatever it takes to free all the monsters again! And then…then I’ll disappear so I can’t hurt them._

Frisk silently walked further down the stairs, pausing again when they just barely heard Sans’ response. “…they are a terrible human being…they don’t deserve to be happy…I just can’t believe humans…”

Frisk’s hands flew to their mouth to stifle the sob threatening to escape. _I knew it, they hate me! Especially Sans, probably because he remembers that they were actually free before I messed up. But he must have told the others some of it and now they all hate me too! I’m a terrible person, I don’t deserve to be near them. The sooner I leave, the sooner they can move on with their lives without me._

Blinded by tears, Frisk ran down the last of the steps and out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coloring books and crayons? Check. Stuffed animals and blankets? Check. Goldfish crackers? Check. Juice boxes? Check. Yep, I'm all set to go hide in my bunker. 
> 
> I actually did have to start coloring periodically while writing this chapter because I knew this was coming and it was messing me up so bad.


	16. Tend(on)er Moment Between Bros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY. You know, I feel like I have had to say that a lot. I had actually written a fair bit of this chapter when I realized it was progressing far faster than the rest of the storyline had and it was making me feel like I was rushing things, so I had to scrap it. Instead I stayed up all night to finish writing this so that I wouldn't leave you all hanging anymore. 
> 
> Fair warning: When an Undertale AMV using "Glad You Came" comes on while the author is writing the fic...you're gonna have a bad time.

Frisk’s POV

Frisk sprinted out the door and was slammed by the cold air and wind. They immediately missed the warmth of the brothers’ home as they ran down the walkway to the sidewalk. _Wait, when did Snowdin get a sidewalk? And why is there only one mailbox instead of two out here?_ A deep cough interrupted their thought processes and they bent over, wrapping their arms around their chest. _Right, still sick. I’ll figure it out later, for now I have to get away before they realize I’m missing._

They straightened back up but kept their arms wrapped around themselves for extra warmth. They hadn’t seen their backpack in the house which made sense because of the reset. _But I don’t remember Snowdin ever being quite this cold and windy. And I know that this storm is making it hard for me to see but this place isn’t recognizable to me at all. Did the reset also change the way the town looks? This is so strange, what happened down here? Did I do all this?_

Frisk looked both ways when they reached the sidewalk, trying to remember which way they were supposed to go to get to the Capitol. _I think I go left out of their house…or was it right? Ugh, if only I could see the buildings and places around me, I would know how to navigate there!_ Frisk decided to head left for now, knowing that they could just turn around if they found Grillby’s or the Librarby. They hoped that they wouldn’t walk as far as the inn and shop run by the bunny sisters if they had picked the wrong route. After one last hacking cough, Frisk let themselves be filled with determination and trudged through the snow. _I’ll fix this, guys, I promise. You’ll have your happy ending again._

 

Sans’ POV

Sans was upstairs in an instant, yanking to door to the bathroom open. “Kid?”  he questioned. Glancing around the bathroom, he saw that the pajamas Papyrus had left for Frisk were still sitting there, neatly folded by the sink. The towel was hung up neatly and any water that had been spilled on the ground had already been wiped up. Even the rubber ducks were carefully lined up on the side of the tub. Sans’ eyes darkened. This was just further proof that Frisk hadn’t been able to lead a normal childhood thus far. He’d never heard of a child leaving absolutely no mess behind while bathing and he cringed when he realized why Frisk might be scared to leave their bathroom anything but immaculate.

He turned and saw Papyrus dashing frantically from his room. “THEY AREN’T IN HERE SANS, WHERE DID THEY GO?”

Sans’ jaw tightened and he flashed to the front door. _Kid, please don’t disappear again, I’m not strong enough to keep doing this. You are making me work harder in one day than I have in the past month, I’m not even sure where I’m going to find the magic to open my shortcuts._  Opening the door, he saw a trail of footprints leading out into the storm. The trail was already beginning to fade from the snowfall. _Dang, that was fast. We’ll have to follow it quickly in order to make sure it doesn’t get wiped out._

Sans snagged his warmer jacket from the coat rack beside the door and was preparing to shortcut to the sidewalk when a bony hand gently grabbed his humerus.

“SANS, ER, I DO NOT THINK YOU SHOULD GO OUT IN THIS. YOU STILL HAVEN’T RESTED ENOUGH TO GET ALL OF YOUR MAGIC BACK. PLEASE STAY HERE AND LET ME GO AFTER THEM.” Papyrus stated, eye sockets furrowed in concern.

Sans shrugged his arm out of Papyrus’ hold and forced a smile. “It’s okay Pap, I put a couple batteries in my pocket to make sure I could stay energized.” He concentrated and blipped to the end of the walkway. As soon as he landed, he could tell that even using that bit of magic had pushed him too far. Struggling to keep his feet under him, he peered at the ground to determine the direction of the footprints, only to face plant in the snow seconds later.

“SANS! SANS ARE YOU ALRIGHT???” Papyrus screamed, vaulting off the porch and skidding to a stop beside his brother.

Sans flipped himself onto his back and start to push himself up, only for Papyrus to quickly snatch him off the ground and run back inside the house. “SANS! YOU CAN’T PUSH YOURSELF LIKE THAT, I’D RATHER YOU’D BE LAZY AND SAFE THEN GET HURT TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH. PLEASE, LET ME TAKE CARE OF THIS FOR ONCE.”

Sans was ready to form an angry retort when he caught a glimpse of his brother’s face. Tears were just beginning to leak out of Papyrus’ eye sockets and Sans was struck by the intensity of his gaze. _I’m being selfish, we just lost track of Frisk so my poor bro is already worried sick, and then I had to go and pull that stupid stunt. No wonder Frisk ran away, I must have pushed them too hard or something. My brother is so awesome, he puts up with-_

“SANS! SANS , WHY AREN’T YOU SAYING ANYTHING? ARE YOU HAVING A SAD MOMENT? DON’T WORRY SANS FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GO FIND FRISK AND BRING THEM BACK HERE TO YOU! PLEASE DON’T BE SAD ANYMORE, YOU COULDN’T HAVE KNOWN THEY WOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO RUN OFF AGAIN! BESIDES, YOU DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH MAGIC TO KEEP YOUR BARRIER UP FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME. PLEASE STAY HERE AND EAT SOME SPAGHETTI, I CAN’T…I CAN’T LOSE YOU TOO.”

Sans quickly hugged his brother a little tighter, barely holding back his own tears at his brother’s admission. “No, no, it’s okay Papyrus, I’m okay. You’re right, I do need to eat some more and rest a little. I’ll stay here and call Undyne to let her know that Frisk took off again. Maybe she and Alphys will spot Frisk while walking here. It will be okay, Pap, I’m fine and you’ll catch up to Frisk quickly. They can’t have gone far yet.”

Papyrus cheered up. “OKAY BROTHER, HELP YOURSELF TO THE SPAGHETTI ON THE STOVE. I’LL BE BACK WITH FRISK BEFORE EVEN YOU CAN FALL ASLEEP.” He dashed back out the door into the snow, looking intently at the faint tracks left by Frisk’s small steps.

Sans gently shut the door and walked into the kitchen, pulling out a plate for the spaghetti. He’d normally just grab his ketchup, but Pap was counting on him to eat something and he couldn’t break that promise to his bro. Once he got his plate prepared, he pulled out his cell phone while walking over to the couch. Placing the heaping plate of pasta on the side table temporarily, he found Undyne’s contact info and pressed Call.

 

Undyne’s POV

“HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP BACK THERE, BABE?” Undyne shouted.

Alphys winced. “Um, U-Undyne, I don’t think you have to yell quite s-so loud. I’m right behind you, literally.”

“I know, babe, I’m just so excited to get there! You aren’t too cold, are you?” Undyne questioned.

Alphys snuggled her head into Undyne’s scarf. “How c-can I be cold when y-you are carrying m-me on your back?”

Undyne grinned. “I don’t know why we don’t do this more often! I get to keep you as close as I want and it can count as a workout! I’m carrying you everywhere from now on.”

Alphys immediately began blushing and buried her face into Undyne’s shoulder, whispering to herself. “I can walk by m-myself, but if you w-want to carry me while we are h-home I won’t mind.”

“Alphys, you know I heard that, right?”

Alphys began stammering, and was only saved by Undyne’s cell phone going off.

_“It’s been a long road, getting from there to here. It’s been a long time, but my time is finally near. And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky. And they’re not gonna hold me down no more, no they’re not gonna change my mind.”_

Undyne was fumbling through her pockets to try to reach it while Alphys started giggling. “And I thought my ringtone for Sans was out there. When did you see Star Trek: Enterprise? HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING SHOWS WITHOUT ME?”

“It was on at their house when I went over to train with papyrus once! I promise I didn’t watch any of it without you” Undyne asserted. She managed to pull out the cell phone, but had to pull off a glove to answer it.

_“-I can do anything. I’ve got strength of the soul. And no one’s gonna bend or break me. I can reach any star-“_

Undyne finally managed to accept the call. “Sans, what’s up? Is Frisk okay?”

Sans sounded weary. “Frisk managed to get away from us, we thought they were still taking a bath. They might be heading in your direction, so keep an eye out for them please.”

Undyne cursed. “How were they even able to get away like that? I thought they barely had any HP!”

“We got them to eat some soup so they are up a couple of points now, but nowhere near where they need to be. And the longer they stay out in this weather the faster they will drop back to where they were.”

Alphys spoke up at this point, saving Sans from Undyne’s colorful language. “We-we’ll make sure to look for them.”

They were met with a sigh, then Sans’ voice grew a little more edged. “If- If you do find them, be careful how you approach them. Don’t engage them in battle, or yell at them at all. I don’t think they are in their right mind currently, they seemed really confused at our house. Just…be gentle, okay? I don’t think they’ve had too many people be nice to them in their life and who knows how they would react if you run after them shaking one of your spears.”

Undyne became indignant. “I WOULD NEVER RUN AFTER THEM WITH A SP-…I already did that, didn’t I?”

Alphys simply nodded and Sans was silent on the phone. Undyne sighed. “Okay, bone boy, you got it. But when I get there, YOU ARE EXPLAINING JUST WHAT IS GOING ON.”

A grim chuckle crackled though the speaker. “I only know a little so far, and trust me, from what I can tell, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For now, we just have to focus on finding Frisk. Papyrus is out looking as well right now, so you might see him. I’m at the house just in case they decide to come back. I’ll see you when you get here.” The call ended.

Undyne adjusted Alphys’ position on her back. “Hang on, babe, and keep your eyes peeled for a runaway. If we don’t see them before we get there, I’m dropping you off at their house and joining Papyrus in the search.”

Alphys tightened her grip on Undyne. “Let’s go.”

 

Frisk’s POV

Frisk had been walking for 10 minutes and had become steadily more confused. They hadn’t even managed to reach the place where they “battled” Papyrus, let alone Sans’ station near the entrance to Waterfall. _I was sure that it only would take me a few minutes to at least get there. If I get to Waterfall, then maybe I won’t be so cold anymore and I-_

Frisk tripped and fell, putting their hands out to catch themselves. Pain shot through their wrist and they cringed, pulling it closer to their body. _But wait, I thought I only hurt my wrist on the Surface. When things reset, this wouldn’t have happened yet. Does that mean I didn’t reset after all?_

They pulled themselves upright and shuffled forward, taking smaller steps as they thought about what they had seen so far. _My wrist is still hurt, the weather is worse than I remember it being in Snowdin, and Sans wasn’t acting normal. Plus, where did they get that meatball onesie?_

Frisk’s features brightened in realization. _I DIDN’T RESET! I just fell asleep from being so tired and cold! Sans doesn’t hate me for taking the Surface away from all of them. I can…I can’t go back. No after all this. Even if they were nice to me back there, I don’t know what they were planning. Sans didn’t really look open to discussing what they were going to do with me next and I was too scared to ask. So, what do I do now?_

Frisk paused for a couple seconds before a small gust of wind passed by them, causing them to shiver. _I need to get somewhere warmer at the very least. I guess I’ll go back to my bridge for now, since I don’t have any of my old supplies. I hope I can get through the storm without freezing._

_‘If you went back, you could be nice and safe from the weather. They would probably even give you medicine.’_

Frisk shook their head determinedly. _I’m not going back, I will not be a burden on them. They are better off without me anyways, if I ignore everything around me so much that I think I’m back Underground. I should have known that I didn’t reset, there were so many signs. They don’t need someone like me around._

Looking around intently, Frisk figured out where they were in the city and began to stumble off in the direction of their “home,” when a cry rang out.

“FRISK!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AMVs just kept coming, and then battle remixes, and it was just a night of feels. Speaking of feels:
> 
> My tumblr name is @accidentalfeelfest (I might embed this later when it isn't so 5:30 in the morningish). You can show me cool stuff, suggest undertale themed songs, and give me a kick in the shorts for motivation (thanks @qin-ying, it helped greatly). But really, I have ADHD and words of encouragement (or well placed kicks to my rear) is what gets stuff done since it reminds me that I should be writing. Feel free to bother me all you like. 
> 
> Ringtone: "Where My Heart Will Take Me" by Russell Wilson, from Star Trek: Enterprise


	17. A Panicked Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important note at the end of the chapter!!!!!!!
> 
> Finally made it through my own panic attacks to bring you...Frisk's panic attack. If something like that bothers you, I'd skip this chapter, or at least Frisk's POV. 
> 
> Daggonit there were unexpected feels and this chapter just took forever to write since I kept not liking how I was approaching the panic attack. And now I'm going to have to update my tags again.
> 
> But hey, if you like angst-y stuff, join the party.

Undyne’s POV

Undyne estimated that at the speed she was walking they would arrive at Papyrus and Sans’ house in less than 10 minutes. After the phone call, she had refused all of Alphys’ suggestions that she get down and walk as well so that Undyne could save her strength. Speaking of which, her girl was at it again. “B-but Undyne, what if you need to chase them d-down? I don’t want them to get-t away because I wore you out!”

Undyne spun her head around. “ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT I’M NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO DO BOTH?”

Alphys reddened. “N-no, of course not, but-“ Undyne cut her off with a smooch, knowing that this would be a lose-lose situation for Alphys. _If I put her down, she’ll be half frozen by the time we get there and we’ll have to slow down for her. If I carry her and get tired, she’ll blame herself for wearing me out. I’ll just have to convince her that I’m doing just fine. ‘Sides, if we do meet the kid, I’ll be so pumped to get them that it won’t matter how long I’ve been walking in the snow._

Alphys interrupted her girlfriend’s musings. “H-Hey, what is that blob up ahead?”

Undyne quickly looked up and squinted, trying to see as far ahead as she could with her one good eye. As they drew closer she heaved a sigh. “It’s just a mailbox…THIS TIME! KEEP LOOKING ALPHYS!”

Alphys tugged on her scarf. “Not t-that, the blob over there!” She pointed across the street, her claws indicating something beyond Undyne’s peripheral vision. Undyne swung her head in that direction and her eyebrows shot up, her right eye widening despite the swirling snow. A small figure was on the other sidewalk, appearing to look around themselves before taking a step towards them. _It might be them, and I just have to find out!_

Undyne leapt into the road, thankful that the snowstorm meant no cars on the road. “FRISK!”

 

Frisk’s POV

Frisk cowered before realizing they recognized the voice. _No! I thought I had more time! But at least she called my name, she knows who I am…and why she wants to kick my butt._ Frisk winced. They weren’t sure they could handle Undyne in this state, and taking the time to battle and run away in between would slow them down dramatically. _Maybe I can run back the way I came for a bit before taking a side road? I didn’t see any that looked plausible but the snow was so thick I might have missed one._

Frisk spun on their heel and took off…or at least tried to. Their foot slipped on ice hidden under the snow and they went crashing to earth, putting their arms out to catch themselves. _OUCH! MY ARM!_ They pulled themselves to their knees and bent their body around their arm, rocking back and forth from pain. _I think I may have broken it this time, it really hurts!_ Twin gasps behind them quickly pulled them from their reverie.

“YO PUNK, ARE YOU OKAY? FRISK, STOP RUNNING FROM ME!” Undyne hollered.  Frisk thought they heard something from Alphys as well, but her voice was lost to the wind, despite it gentling around them.

Frisk struggled to their feet and cradled their arm, eyes blinking back tears as they carefully took a couple steps forward. _How am I supposed to get away from them at this speed? At least Alphys is on Undyne’s back and the ice on the ground is slowing her down as well, otherwise she would have caught me by now. What do I have to do to get them to leave me alone so they can move on and be happy? I’m not always a good person, and staying with everyone for my own selfish reasons would just prove it. I guess…I guess I don’t have any options but to say something that would really hurt her feelings. Or worse, Alphys’ feelings. I’m sorry Alphys, I don’t mean a word of what I’m about to say, but it is better if you guys hate me._

Frisk opened their mouth to speak and instead erupted into a coughing fit. _Not here! Not now!_ They continued to shuffle backwards away from Undyne, who was quickly gaining on them with Alphys peering anxiously over her shoulder. Frisk finally calmed their coughing enough to speak and opened their mouth to shout the meanest thing they could think of at Alphys.

“FRISK!” _Huh. That’s not my voice, although I guess right now Alphys probably would be pretty upset to hear my name. But then why does she look happier? Undyne has perked up as well? Wait…If I didn’t shout ‘Frisk’ then who…oh no. no No NO!_

“FRISK! OH, UNDYNE AND ALPHYS, I DIDN’T SPOT YOU THERE! WAS FRISK SO EAGER TO SEE YOU THAT THEY CAME RUNNING TO YOU? BUT WAIT, FRISK, YOU ARE RUNNING AWAY FROM THEM AGAIN, AND YOU ARE HOLDING YOUR ARM FUNNY…DID UNDYNE THREATEN YOU WITH HER SPEARS AGAIN?”

Frisk collapsed to the pavement, their legs unable to hold them up any longer, not heeding the shouting going back and forth between the two parties. _No no no now I can’t escape he is there I can’t leave and they’ll take me back and I’ll just ruin everything. I’ve already ruined everything they are mad Papyrus is mad he never gets mad._

In the back of their mind, they could hear that the shouting had ceased, but this didn’t register as they curled into a ball, rocking back and forth on the ground. A slight keening noise occasionally escaped their lips and their breathing was starting to become uncontrolled. _I’m bad I must be bad because everyone is mad no I made a rhyme about it I can’t do that this is bad now it sounds like I don’t care but I do I do I do CARE I CARE no they are mad please don’t be mad I’ll fix it I’ll fix it I’m sorry I’m sorry I’M SORRY._

There was buzzing in their brain and rumbles around them. They might have been voices but Frisk wasn’t able to tell. Suddenly there were arms gently surrounding them, shifting to pick them up. Frisk’s movements became more violent, jackknifing their body so whoever was touching them was unable to keep a hold on them. _No NO NO TOUCHES touches are bad TOUCHES ARE BAD! They hurt they only bring hurt they only cause HURT can’t be touched don’t DESERVE TO BE TOUCHED no nice touches no hugs never get them WON’T EVER GET THEM YOU FREAK! YOU’RE A FREAK OF NATURE! HOW DARE YOU EXIST, HOW DARE YOU SAY YOU ARE THIS THING! I should have NEVER LET YOU STAY!_

Frisk whimpered and coughed, their own panicked thoughts being overridden with a flashback, one that they hadn’t remembered for years. They fought for control of their own head, managing to gain a little ground. _Not a freak, just different, everyone is a little different, it isn’t bad to be different, it is just BAD TO BE ME! I’M BAD, not who I am, not what I am, JUST ME. I’ve been bad I’ve done bad things but who I am isn’t why I’m just bad I’m awful I’m mean they hate me THEY HATE ME!_

A different pair of arms was around them now, firmer in their grasp around their body. Frisk whined as they tried to escape the arms, but they were just held tighter, the arms carefully avoiding their own hurt limb. Something was being wrapped around their hurt arm, it felt more secure now and didn’t hurt quite so much. The arms shifted and held them close against a body, unyielding to Frisk’s frantic movements. Their breathing had rapidly increased and their consciousness was starting to darken. _No please don’t hold me please don’t touch me I don’t deserve love I just deserve LOVE that is all I deserve I’m a terrible person I’m a horrible awful person please don’t hold me close please don’t comfort me please don’t wipe away my tears I DON’T DESERVE IT! I don’t…I don’t…I don’t deserve any of this…_

They would deal with this when they woke up, it was too late now anyways. With their oxygen supply being lessened due to hyperventilation, Frisk slipped into darkness; this time eager for the escape it provided.

 

Papyrus’ POV

Once Papyrus was satisfied that Sans would stay behind at their house, he set off into the snow, doing his best to follow the quickly fading footprints. _Nyeh heh heh, at least it isn’t snowing as hard as it was an hour ago, otherwise these would have already disappeared!_

He followed them for several minutes, his longer strides eating up the distance despite the snow and ice beneath his boots. The footprints had slowly become clearer and he hoped that soon he would spot “FRISK!” _That figure in the distance, that must be them! And who is that they are facing?_

“FRISK! OH, UNDYNE AND ALPHYS, I DIDN’T SPOT YOU THERE! WAS FRISK SO EAGER TO SEE YOU THAT THEY CAME RUNNING TO YOU? BUT WAIT, FRISK, YOU ARE RUNNING AWAY FROM THEM AGAIN, AND YOU ARE HOLDING YOUR ARM FUNNY…DID UNDYNE THREATEN YOU WITH HER SPEARS AGAIN?” _I hope not, Undyne should know better. Frisk has been acting rather oddly lately, maybe that is why they are running away and not because Undyne scared them._

Undyne shrieked back “I HAVEN’T PULLED OUT ANY SPEARS, PAPYRUS! THEY JUST THOUGHT THEY COULD RUN AWAY FROM ME AGAIN BUT I HAVE ALMOST CAUGHT THEM, FUHUHUHUHU!”

Papyrus grinned at Undyne, pleased that she hadn’t resorted to her usual method of solving disputes, or capturing individuals, or…doing just about anything, really. He hoped that when Undyne planned to propose to Alphys, she wouldn’t do it by attaching the ring to her spear and chucking it at the small lizard. _Not that I, the Great Papyrus, am expecting her to do that! Err, just in case, maybe I should leave the dating handbook at their house during a sleepover one of these days. Wait, Frisk is here, I’ll be a dating expert for Undyne later!_

Papyrus opened his jaw to call out to Frisk when he noticed that they were huddled on the ground rocking back and forth, holding their injured arm. He dashed up to them, Undyne and Alphys arriving about the same time. “Frisk? Frisk can you hear me?” Frisk gave no response to his queries, a slight noise coming from their mouth endlessly.

Alphys squeaked out “I think they are h- having a panic attack.”

Undyne managed to soften her tone a bit. “Like the ones you sometimes get, babe?” Alphys hid her face in Undyne’s shoulder but the nod of her head was unmistakable.

Papyrus looked at Frisk thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, if the little human is panicking, then it is up to me to un-panic them! Maybe if I hold them, they’ll remember that they are safe with us. At the very least, it will get them to hold still so that they don’t hurt themselves any further.” He reached down and cautiously wrapped his arms around child. Suddenly their keening became a higher pitch and their breathing quickened. Frisk began to jackknife their body and it was all that Papyrus could do to keep their upper body and head in a relatively safe position. Frisk began to whimper and cough from their exertions.

Undyne’s arms appeared in his field of vision and she grunted out “Hand ‘em over.” Papyrus did not want to admit defeat but in this case, he would let Undyne have a chance.

Undyne skillfully wrapped her arms around Frisks upper body and stood upright with them in her grasp. She had managed to pin the uninjured arm to their side and was gently squeezing their legs between her own. “Papyrus, can you hold their arm stable while my girl wraps it up?”

Papyrus firmly grasped Frisk’s hand and elbow, leaving the wrist and forearm bare for Alphys who was shuffling though her bag. She pulled out a wrap triumphantly and concentrated on wrapping their hand down to their elbow, applying light even pressure throughout. “T-There, I finished.”

Papyrus watched as Undyne slowly shifted her grip on Frisk, cradling the child bridal style but still cautious of their injured limb. “HOW DID YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THAT, UNDYNE?”

Undyne smiled sadly as she looked down at Frisk. “Alphys has panic attacks sometimes, and besides, I’m not Captain of the Royal Guard for nothing! Now come on, nerds, I think they went unconscious from all their panicking so we need to get to the boneboys’ place ASAP!”

She went to stride off, then stopped and turned around. “Umm, Papyrus? Do you mind carrying Alphys and the bag? I would, but I don’t want to wake up Frisk by jostling them around too much. Otherwise, you know, I’d have to…fight them…or something…”

Alphys began stuttering “I c-can walk on my o-own! Besides, Papyrus is p-probably too tired to carry me and the bag!”

Undyne looked over her shoulder with a gleam in her eye. “YOU GONNA STAND THERE AND TAKE THAT PAPYRUS? PICK UP THE NERD AND THE NERD’S STUFF AND LET’S GO! I BET I’LL BEAT YA TO YOUR OWN HOUSE!”

Papyrus straightened, his eyes twinkling.   _A challenge from Undyne! I must beat her!_ He scooped up Alphys under one arm and the loaded bag under the other, ignoring the protests from the small lizard woman. Within seconds he was already gaining on the captain. _Ha, I will win this race Undyne! But in the end everyone will win because we will have Frisk back with us! I’m sure Alphys will have no problem fixing them up!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that skipped: They got Frisk back. Whoopie!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who checked in with me when the update didn't come as planned. I had a rough two or so weeks with daily panic attacks but not all of them were that bad. I just also had a massive amount of school work at the same time and between those two items and the dread of writing in a panic attack...I needed a quick break. On the plus side, I'm past it and soon my semester will be over so I'll have marginally more time in the summer to work on it!
> 
> Important note: So, I'm going to be reaching what was originally going to be the end of this fic...back when it was planned to be about 2,000 or so words and NOT have nearly this much developed backstory. That being said, do you guys want me to continue? Once I reach that point I'll need to take another quick break to figure out the general direction to go with it and what would happen. Or you guys can just get the original ending/epilogue piece. Let me know here or on Tumblr!


	18. "Glad You Came"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A NEW CHAPTER! FINALLY! So as many of you know, this was supposed to be up when finals were over. Unfortunately right after finals I was exhausted from the several all-nighters I had pulled. Then I was taken off my ADHD meds due to possible heart issues and I slept 12-16 hours a day for the week after that happened. I only finally have started to recently feel more like myself and was able to work past the nasty writer's block I had about this chapter (I seriously scrapped so much while working on it because I just couldn't deal). I didn't even come onto AO3 to read other fanfiction once finals were done because I figured if I had time to read other fics it meant that I had time to be working on my own. I've been deprived for almost 3 weeks now.
> 
> On the plus side, this is the longest chapter yet so enjoy that. And I threw in some extra angst to make up for the lack of it in your diet as of late. Enjoy
> 
> I got my first piece of fanart!!! Check it out [here](http://accidentalfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/144549633343/accidentalfeelfest-yoooo-i-love-your-fic)  
> And if this was you, I want to be able to recognize you so please come forward! I would love to use your art as the banner for this page if possible :)

Sans’ POV

His brother had been gone for 15 minutes, and Sans couldn’t help but pace near the door. _Jeez kid, you aren’t even here and you have me working hard._ He looked out the window with each pass, hoping to see his brother come striding down the walk with Frisk in his arms. _It’s been 15 minutes, and he hasn’t called at all. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Papyrus calls about everything, which means that he hasn’t found anything yet. Or he is so busy rushing them back that he doesn’t want to stop to call ahead. Or…he is lost or hurt somewhere because I let him go out in the snow alone. No! He’s okay, he has to be okay. Papyrus can take care of himself, he is the coolest. I just have to trust that he is okay…but maybe, just in case, I should try calling him?_

Sans made another pass and sighed, pulling out his cell phone. _I can at least find out where all he has searched, and maybe convince him that I am rested enough to search as well._ He unlocked his screen and moved to his speed dial to pull up Papyrus’ info, glancing up through the window one last time. “Wait, what are those darker blobs out there…?” he murmured to himself, dropping his phone back in his pocket just before pressing the call button.

He wiped his hoodie sleeve on the glass and peered out again. His eyes widened and he quickly opened the door to see Undyne and Papyrus walking as fast as they could up the walkway, both still mindful of the ice and…their passengers? He could clearly see Alphys under one of Papyrus’ arms, and giant duffel under the other. That must mean that the boneless bundle in Undyne’s arms was Frisk.   _I’m surprised that Papyrus even let Undyne carry Frisk, though she seems to be taking especial care to not jostle them too much._

Sans stepped aside as Undyne and Papyrus tried to barge up the steps at the same time. Both of them paused at the doorway however, then Papyrus moved aside enough so that Undyne could enter first, the coat wrapped child within her arms not even twitching. Sans quickly checked Frisk’s HP and relaxed when he realized it had only gone down a couple of points in the time Frisk had been gone, not enough for them to be in the danger zone let alone be unconscious. _Which means they are unresponsive for a different reason. What made the kid knock out like that? I know they were tired, but they didn’t seem THAT tired._

Sans stepped forward to help Undyne unwrap the extra layers from around Frisk’s body. “So, what happened to the kid? Did Undyne wave a spear and scare them into fainting?” Sans kept his tone light, but his eyes were trained on Frisk’s form as more was uncovered, noting the scarf wrapped on their hurt wrist. Their clothes were a bit wet and Sans was glad that they hadn’t put on the new pajamas before leaving. He would be able to change them out of their wet attire and there would be warm clothes for them that should fit.

Undyne opened her mouth wide, looking like she was going to yell, but a whimper from Frisk made her close it again. Instead she hissed out in a whisper “Why does everyone keep saying that! It isn’t like I’ve been planning to make Frisk kabobs! I just wanted the little twerp home safe.”

Adjusting her grip on Frisk as Sans pulled off the coat, she continued. “And no, I didn’t make one of my spears. As soon as the kid saw us they started trying to get away and fell on their hurt arm. They got up because they’re a beast like me but when they saw Papyrus coming from the other side they just…shut down.” She trailed off, her gaze resting on the now shivering child in her arms.

Sans motioned her forward and led the way up the stairs to Papyrus’ bedroom. Thinking quickly, he made a shortcut to their linen closet and pulled out several towels before returning to the bedroom door, getting their just as Undyne had reached the top of the staircase. He opened the door for the procession and quickly laid two towels on the bed before stepping aside so that Undyne could lay Frisk down. Glancing back at the door, he saw that Papyrus had brought up Alphys’ duffel bag with him, the small scientist following behind. With all four of them in there the room became rather crowded and Sans was worried about Frisk waking up like this.

“Hey Papy, why don’t you take Undyne down to the kitchen and fix her some of your spaghetti so she can taste test it for everyone. I ate it so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to savor the flavors. Once Alphys is done looking at Frisk she’ll need a plate as well.”

Nods came from around the room, Papyrus and Undyne filing out as he finished speaking. As soon as the door was closed he could hear their volume level rise and he winced, happy that they had managed to stay quieter around Frisk. Turning back to the bed, he realized the Frisk had begun to wake up and had curled into a ball around their hurt arm, rocking back and forth. They were gasping for breath and they were still shivering. _Although since they’ve re-entered their panic attack, it is hard to say how much of that is from them being cold and how much of it is from their anxiety._

Sans quickly picked up another towel and approached the bed. He wrapped Frisk up tightly, making sure to leave their hurt arm free, before sitting on the bed beside them. Pulling them onto his lap, he began rocking their body slowly while humming an indistinct tune. Slowly the notes pulled themselves into a song, but it took him a minute to realize where the song was from. He had only heard it a few weeks ago, but had immediately thought of Frisk during the one part of it. Continuing his humming, he could see Alphys out of the corner of his eye pulling instruments out of her bag, trying not to stare at him. No one except Papyrus had heard was he was about to do next, though.

 _“The sun goes down, the stars come out, and all that counts is here and now. My universe will never be the same. I’m glad you came. I’m glad you came.”_  Sans could see Alphys gaping at him, but that wasn’t important right now. As soon as he had started singing, Frisk’s trembling had slowed along with their breathing. He repeated the chorus again, skipping over the verse. They began to unclench a little in his lap, slowly but surely responding to his voice. Sans could barely contain his smile. _They do trust me, even if they don’t actively realize it. I’ll be able to get them through this yet._

 

Frisk’s POV

_Darkness again. This felt all too familiar. But this time, they didn’t feel that bad._

_Coldness for a little while, then a gentle warmth. Being cradled in someone’s arms while something was unwrapped from their body. They became aware of wetness on their clothes._

_Wait. Arms. That meant someone was there._

_THAT MEANT SOMEONE WAS THERE._

Frisk began to regain consciousness while getting whatever it was unwrapped from around their body, but everything was too hazy at first. What had happened? They were vaguely aware of being carried up some stairs while they pondered this, willing to just go with it for now until they could figure it out.

Frisk remembered being at the font brothers’ house, and eating soup. As their body was placed on a soft surface covered in towels, they remembered laying in Papyrus’ bed, before getting up to take a bath. They knew they had left the house afterwards…

Frisk then heard Sans speak, saying something to Papyrus and Undyne. Realization washed over them. _I shut down and was brought back to the house. I failed to get away, and now they are going to feel like they are stuck with me._

Frisk curled up into a ball on their side, still mindful of their hurt arm. They began rocking back and forth and breathing faster. _I failed again, and now they are going to feel the need to keep me because that is what you are supposed to do, and no one will want to give them a chance because I am here. I failed I always fail I always-_

Suddenly there was another towel being wrapped around them, and they were being pulled into a sitting position and onto a bony lap. _Sans._ Before their reaction could worsen, however, they heard a sound they didn’t expect. Sans was humming randomly, gently rocking their body back in forth in a slow rhythm with his own. Skeletal fingers traced small circles on their upper arm and back, and their head was left to nestle against his collar bone.

Then the humming changed slightly, into a vaguely familiar tune. Frisk had heard it before but couldn’t even remember any of the words. Almost in answer to their unspoken question, Sans began singing. Frisk immediately began to relax, even stopping the trembling that they hadn’t noticed running through their body. Their breathing and heart rate slowed, and they began to allow themselves to melt in San’s grasp, releasing the quivering ball of anxiety that had taken over them. _He’s…singing? But, why?_

Frisk realized that Sans had started the chorus of the song over again, so this time they paid attention to the words. Tears began to form at the corners of their eyes when they realized that this was Sans’ way of trying to reach through to them to let them know that he still wanted them and loved them. _Wait. I’m wanted? I’m…loved?_

Tears started to stream down their face as Sans abruptly cut off. “Frisk? Kiddo? Can you hear me? You’re okay, you are safe here. It is going to be okay.”

This just made Frisk cry harder and they flung their arms around Sans, pulling him into a tight hug. They could feel his initial confusion but then he wrapped his arms tighter around their body and continued to rock them. “It’s okay Frisk, I’m here, you’re here, everyone is here and safe.”

Another voice said something behind them. Frisk was sobbing too hard to hear precisely the words that were spoken, but the tone was unmistakable. _Alphys is in here too? And now she is watching me break down, she’s going to think I’m just a crybaby._ Frisk began to outright bawl at this thought, unable to contain any of their emotions at this point. Sans seemed to recognize what was going on and they heard him say something, followed by quiet footsteps leaving the room and the door closing again.

Then, there was a skeletal hand in their hair, gently petting their head. Sans voice rang out above them. “Okay kid, she’s gone. You’re alright Frisk. You are going to be just fine.”

Frisk began to relax in his grip once more, but their sobbing continued on for several minutes. Sans didn’t try to get them to stop, or to push them away from him. Instead he gently pressed their head into his shoulder and rocked their body, murmuring words of comfort. Slowly but surely their tears lessened, and eventually the occasional hiccup and sniffle was all that was left of their meltdown. Frisk felt something bump gently against their head, and looked up into Sans’ face. Their eyes widen when they see that his head is inches from their own, and before they can react Sans leans in again and presses his teeth against their forehead in the skeletal version of a kiss.

“There you go Frisk. See, you are okay. Now, why don’t you tell me what spooky, scary thing made you run out of this house. I need to know if I have a boogeyman to get rid of.”

Frisk couldn’t help the giggle that escaped them, and they sat up a little bit on Sans’ lap. Sans loosened his grip on them but didn’t let go entirely, keeping his arms wrapped around their form. The giggles melted away, though, once they realized what Sans was actually asking. They looked down at their own lap and their mouth opened and closed a few times before hearing Sans speak again.

“Well, let’s start with this note. Frisk, is…is everything you wrote about your family in this note true?”

Frisk barely nodded their head, almost slipping back into another panic attack. They felt their body pulled back against Sans’ and one of his hands started rubbing their back.

“Jeez kid, that’s messed up. Look, I don’t know what all you’ve been told, but YOU ARE A GOOD KID AND WE WANT YOU WITH US.” The emphasis on those last few words was unmistakable. “So, please Frisk, tell me why you ran away from us earlier.”

Frisk gulped and then said softly “I thought that I had accidentally reset the timeline. Papyrus was only calling me human and even you weren’t calling me by my name. Your house looks really similar on the inside, or at least the parts I saw, and when I went down the stairs I heard Papyrus say that Undyne was angry with me. And then you said that I was a terrible human being and didn’t deserve to be happy. I left the house so that I could get you all back to the surface and that way you wouldn’t hate me anymore. Besides, none of the humans wanted me, so I didn’t want you guys to have to keep me. And if you are with me, the humans might not like you as much. So I left.”

Frisk was practically choking on their own words by the end, not used to speaking so much and still trying to contain their tears. It appeared that they had cried themselves out for at least the meantime and their eyes stayed dry now. Frisk kept their head down until a Kleenex came into their field of view and covered their nose. “Blow” Sans said gently, and Frisk immediately complied. The tissue was tossed away and another one returned in his hand, wiping up their face.

“Frisk, I know this is going to take a long time for you to fully accept, but we do love you and want you here with us. Toriel has even filled out adoption papers for you so that you could go live with her. Everyone had been looking all over for you because we have been so worried. At some point, we will talk to everyone and you will see how much they missed you and want you as their friend. But for now, we need to get you changed and let Alphys check you over.”

Frisks eyes blown open when they heard that Toriel wanted to adopt them, and they immediately looked at the skeleton’s face, searching for any signs of a lie. All they found was a sincere look with tears made of blue magic forming in his own eyes. They tightened their own grip on Sans’ again, stuffing their face against his hood. His hand began rubbing their back again and they sat for another couple minutes before Sans shifted, pulling them along with him. They heard something being taken from the side table and looked over to find the meatball onesie from before, tags now removed.

“This was supposed to be your Christmas present but better late than never, right? Don’t worry, I have a matching one. If you are good for Alphys I’ll go put it on and we can be twins. And I’m sure Papyrus will have no problem putting his own spaghetti themed one on.”

Frisk laughed, thinking of Sans wearing a pair of onesie pajamas, and the smile stayed on their face as they let Sans help them out of their wet clothes and dry off with the towel. Once they were sufficiently dry, they pulled on the meatball onesie and wiggled their toes, giggling at the way the fabric moved over their feet. Sans started chuckling as well.

“I don’t know kid, looks like there might be some mischief afoot. I better lend you hand to get to the bottom of it all.” Sans started tickling their feet and they kicked a little, laughter erupting from them. The laughing quickly turned to coughing and Sans immediately stopped, sitting them upright and giving them a glass of water to drink from.

“I’ll leave and send Alphy in to you Frisk so she can figure out what is up. I think she even has some human medicine for that cough of yours.” Sans tucked them into the bed and turned to leave. Frisk caught the sleeve of his jacket and turned him back towards them, noticing for the first time that their tears had soaked almost the entire front of his jacket. _Oops, I didn’t mean to do that, but he doesn’t seem to mind._

“…please stay?” Frisk managed to whisper, trying not to let their nervousness show on their face.  

Sans took a step towards them and rubbed their head with his free hand. “Of course kid, if that is what you want. Just let me call Alphys up.”

Frisk said cautiously “What about your jacket? I got it all wet.”

Sans looked down and snorted. “I hadn’t even noticed that kid, but I’ll take a shortcut to my room real quick and grab a new one. I wouldn’t want you to have to snuggle this wet thing.” He blipped out of the room and was back within seconds, an identical hoodie in his hands. He changed out of the wet jacket and with a nod from Frisk, opened the door to the bedroom and called out. “Alphys, we’re ready now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect the next chapter next Sunday please, I go to Animazement this weekend and will be too busy between that and my thesis work to have a decent chapter out by then. Seriously, how do some writers get a long chapter out every day or every other day? It's madness. It won't be a month until the next one though, that is for sure.
> 
> "Glad You Came" is by The Wanted


	19. Need(le) some comfort?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A box scoots in, scraping across the floor. Some pages are pushed out from underneath it. It scoots away, whispering "So Sorry"

Frisk’s POV

Frisk sat on the bed, the panic attack leaving them drained of energy. They couldn’t even bring themselves to feel their normal anxiety regarding a check-up, although part of that may have been due to the fact that it was Alphys, not some human doctor who would only use their birth pronouns and insist that they were just confused. It had amazed Frisk that the monsters who barely knew them had accepted their pronoun usage so quickly when they couldn’t even get their… no, it wasn’t worth it right now. Those people were in their past, and Frisk hoped they would stay there. From the sounds of it, they might even have a new family. Frisk could barely believe what Sans was telling them. Toriel wanted them to stay with her? Wasn’t she worried about them being human or messing up and doing something wrong? Would Toriel get mad when this inevitably happened?

Frisk felt themselves starting to panic again, increasing their breathing once more. They lacked the energy to start shaking or call out to Sans to let him know something was wrong. Luckily he seemed to realize that they were upset and walked back over to the bed, climbing onto it so that he could sit against the headboard and pull them back onto his lap. They felt bad about that, it wasn’t like they were all that small and Sans wasn’t very large, but when they made motions as if to climb off Sans simply circled his arms around them to prevent their escape. Frisk supposed that part of this was because he didn’t want them trying to leave again after everyone had gone through so much trouble to find them, but the gentle strokes on their head and the soft humming that Sans had resumed  made them feel that Sans genuinely wanted to hold them in that moment.

Footsteps were soon heard outside and there was a hesitant knock on the door. “F-Frisk? I’m coming in n-now, okay?” Alphys peeked her head in, appearing to relax slightly when she saw them on the bed with Sans. She scurried into the room over to the dresser where there were several instruments that Frisk had seen lain out neatly. She picked up a stethoscope and walked over to the bed. “Okay Frisk, l-let’s get started.”

Sans’ POV

Sans watched as Alphys carried out the examination. He could tell Frisk wasn’t thrilled with it but Alphys was doing a good job of keeping calm. He could tell that she was having trouble keeping her composure when Frisk unzipped their pjs and each rib could be seen clearly through their skin. Even though he already knew what Frisk looked like he still had to bite his tongue to keep his exclamations to himself. Right now Frisk needed them to be cool and collected so they would relax and let Alphys take care of them.

Alphys started by immediately checking their lungs, as their cough and sickness was the biggest threat to their health. Frisk wasn’t able to take a very deep breath before they began coughing again, sounding like there was fluid or something stuck in their lungs. After listening for a couple minutes at several spots Alphys took off their stethoscope and sighed in relief. “It isn’t as bad as I thought, the meds should take care of this no problem. I’ll give them to you once we finish up, but it seems like you will be able to make a full recovery from your illness.” Sans smiled and even Frisk managed to perk up a bit, encouraged by Alphys’ words.

He held Frisk on his lap for most of the check-up, only letting them off when Alphys needed to test something that required movement. The hurt arm was saved for last, and Alphys confirmed Sans’ suspicions that it was just a nasty sprain. Sans held the arm still while Alphys wrapped it up in a bandage with a splint to protect it until Toriel was able to come and heal it, not that either of them told that to Frisk. When Alphys tried to mention it while working on Frisk’s arm, Sans gave her a quick look that had her changing the topic to something different. From what Sans could tell Frisk seemed to be the most worried about Toriel’s reaction, possibly because he mentioned that she wanted to adopt them. So instead of having Frisk re-enter their panicked state he figured it might be better to wait until Toriel had arrived so that the gentle monster would be able to tell Frisk for herself how much she wanted them home with her.

Finally Alphys was done with the examination part and went over to the dresser again. Sans gently tightened his hold on Frisk again as he shifted them ever so slightly in his lap. Both he and Alphys had discussed what the plan was if it turned out Frisk was scared of needles as many children were. They didn’t want to have to hold Frisk down but they decided that a shot would be the best way to deliver the antibiotics as quickly as possible and if it came down to it there were several monsters in this house that could make sure those meds got into the child. Alphys hesitated for a couple of seconds before turning around again, the needle still capped so that they could spare Frisk the sight of it until the last possible moment. But this was Frisk they were talking about, and the child immediately knew something up, checking Alphys’ hands for what she was carrying. The light reflected off the plastic syringe and Frisk’s eyes blew open and they began to try to pull away from Sans’ grip. He regretfully tightened it further and tried to sooth them. “Frisk, kid, it is okay, just one little shot and we are through. You’ve been so good, can you try and be brave for just a bit longer?”

Frisk squeaked and tensed up further, pulling themselves into a ball, a few tears escaping from the sides of their eyes. Sans gently rocked them, rubbing his phalanges through their hair. _At least this isn’t like the panic attack they are having before, we can still reach them easily right now._ Alphys stood by the bed, shifting uncomfortably back and forth, tail tucked close to her body. Sans was about to tell her just to wait a moment while he got Frisk to calm down again when the door to the bedroom swung open with a bang. “Sans! Papyrus said that Frisk has only eaten soup so far! Everyone knows spaghetti is the ultimate healing food- oh, didn’t realize you weren’t done yet. Wait, why is Frisk crying? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN, FRISK? WHO DO I NEED TO SUPLEX?”

Sans stared at Undyne who had burst into the room yelling, Papyrus right behind her looking as if he had been trying to hold her back from running up here. He was still clutching her arms and bracing his feet against the doorway, but a determined Undyne was no match for him. Her fist kept clenching and unclenching as if she wanted to summon a spear, but her eyes stayed on Frisk and her hand remained empty. Sans was about to speak when Frisk started to shake their head rapidly, putting up both their hands and waving them back and forth. Papyrus released Undyne and they both walked a little further into the room, confused looks on their faces. “Then what is wrong, punk? You are like the toughest human I know, what in the world could make YOU cry?”

Sans opened his mouth admonish Undyne when he heard a tiny giggle escape the child in his arms. Frisk pointed at Alphys and Undyne exclaimed “THIS NERD? BABE, I LOVE YOU, BUT HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU INTIMIDATE THE MOST FEARLESS HUMAN AROUND?” Alphys chose to simply open her hand in response, the syringe on display for all to see. Papyrus sat down on the bed next to them and gently hugged Frisk. However, Undyne huffed and broadened her shoulders. “YOU GONNA LET A LITTLE NEEDLE LIKE THAT BEAT YOU PUNK? YOU NEED TO SHOW IT WHO IS BOSS! IF YOU CAN TAKE ON MY SPEARS, THIS FLIMSY PIECE OF METAL IS NOTHING!”

Sans held his tongue for a moment, curious to see if Undyne would be able to pump Frisk up enough to willing take the shot. _If not, there are enough of us here to hold them gently so that Alphys can do it easily. Papyrus used to always be able to get Frisk to smile, maybe he could distract them enough that they won’t even feel it._ He was only a little surprised when Frisk sat up straighter and beamed, pretending to make muscles with their arms. They pointed to the shot and nodded, head held high. _Kid never could back down from a challenge. Good for you, Frisk, you’ll make your way through this._

Alphys took a step towards the bed but before anything else could be done a melodious voice rang out downstairs. “Hellllllooooooo Darlings! Where is that wonderful child?”

Alphys blushed and shyly put up her hand, tail twitching behind her. “I c-called Metta-t-ton, he has spent so much time out s-searching for Frisk himself and has been v-very worried. He sounded so ecstatic-c over the phone that I-I just invited…him…over?” Papyrus bolted up off the bed and sprinted towards the door.

“HELLO METTATON, I’M SORRY THAT I HAVE LAPSED IN MY HOST DUTIES! SEe, I was upstairs because…” Undyne closed the door and Papyrus’ voice faded out. Everyone stood paused for a moment before Undyne snorted and everyone began laughing. Sans chuckled briefly before getting up and depositing Frisk on the bed.

“Alright big boss, you got this. Undyne and I will leave Alphys to take care of you. Say, Alphys, where exactly does Frisk have to get that shot anyways?”

Alphys’ cheeks reddened and she mumbled out “…the gluteal area.” Undyne’s eyes widened and Sans shook his head, turning to Frisk in a mournful manner.

“Well, no butts about it, that can be a rough place for a shot. Don’t worry, you can lie down after this so you don’t have to sit on the sore area.” Frisk shook their head and crossed their arms.

“What,  you don’t want to sleep?” Frisk shook their head again, firmly.

“But kiddo, you need to rest. We’ll talk about it after Alphys is done, okay?” _And hopefully Asgore and Toriel will be here by then with that tea I requested. I don’t want to trick them into doing anything but if they don’t sleep they won’t get better._ Frisk nodded and made a shooing motion with their hands. Suddenly Sans felt himself picked up by Undyne, coming to hang under one of her arms.

“I’ll take this one with me! Babe, go ahead and take care of Frisk.” Sans pretended to fall asleep as Undyne walked out the door, completely fine with not having to do the work of walking downstairs. She finished carrying him down the steps and leaned in closer. “So, Frisk really can’t even have spaghetti right now? This is his best batch yet!”

Sans slowly shook his head. “We got some soup into them earlier and right now they are so unused to eating that they would probably throw it back up and would feel that they were hurting Papyrus’ feelings. They’ll have to eat smaller meals more often for a little while until their stomach can handle bigger ones.” Undyne frowned but nodded, straightening up as she did so. She turned and headed into the living area where Papyrus attempting to serve spaghetti to Mettaton in his excitement.

“I’m afraid that in my rush to get over, I didn’t bring the necessary parts for food consumption. But it looks scrumptious, be sure to save some for me to take home!” Sans could swear he saw literal stars in his brother’s eyes. He called out “Make sure to breathe and not pass out there Paps, it is a farfalle to the floor.”

Papyrus turned to glare at Sans then shook his head “I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN MY HAPPINESS WITH YOUR SILLY PUNS BROTHER!”

Undyne walked in from the kitchen with another plate of spaghetti and flopped on the couch beside Mettaton. Papyrus chose to join them, leaving Sans standing near the door. “Sans, why are you smiling like that? It is different than normal. Is it because Frisk is here safe?” Papyrus tilted his head and questioned almost softly.

_I’m smiling differently? Really? He didn’t mention anything before about this. Maybe that isn’t entirely it though. Maybe it isn’t just that Frisk is safe, because they aren’t just safe. They are safe for years to come. They have a home where they will be loved for the rest of their life. And here, in this house now, are some of the many individuals who care about them. Monsters that dropped everything in order to get here in a snowstorm just to see to help them. Heck, Grillby almost burnt himself out trying to help them. Frisk is safe, and everyone here is so much happier for it. Now all we need-_

The door swung open with a bang, wind swirling around the figure standing imposingly in the doorway as snowflakes decorated their body. “WHERE IS MY CHILD?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, this chapter kicked my butt several times over and despite the fact that I was supposed to be back on my ADHD meds a month ago it hasn't happened yet. I wanted to do more with this chapter but I just couldn't make it work so take this and hopefully I'll be able to work in some of the other elements later.


	20. Much To Their Tea-Leaf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I battled everything from health issues to hurricanes, writers blocks to computer problems, the start of my actual thesis, and can't forget the generalized anxiety :) On the plus side, IT IS HERE! WOO HOO! And I figured out how to get from point A to B for this chapter! -does dance while laughing maniacally-

Frisk POV

Frisk re-buttoned the flap on the back of the onesie, thankful that they didn’t have to take it off in order to receive their shot. Over near the computer desk Alphys was packing up the last bit of her supplies, leaving the night-time pain medicine on top. _I’ve had worse pain than this before and now that my arm is properly wrapped up it barely hurts at all. Besides, I really don’t want to fall asleep just yet. At least Alphys promised that I shouldn’t have to have any more shots. I used to not be scared of needles, but now, something about all things sharp and pointy just make me feel uncomfortable._

Suddenly a voice echoed up the stairs and under the door, loud enough that it seemed the speaker was in the room with them. “WHERE IS MY CHILD?”

Frisk frantically looked around themselves and dashed towards the window, ignoring Alphys’ exclamation behind them. They reached out to unlock it but when their fingers were just inches away a blue sheen sprung into existence, gently pushing their hand back. _Sans, why did you have to be so quick? I can’t face her now, what if she is mad at me for lying? I need to get out of here!_

A pair of hands grasped their shoulders lightly, tugging Frisk softly backwards towards the bed. Frisk wrenched themselves away, tripping over their own feet in their frenzy. They stumbled to the closet and ripped open the door, diving behind a laundry basket. A couple of clothes on the hangers above were just long enough to tickle the top of Frisk’s head as they crouched there. Reaching up with both hands, Frisk yanked downward on the clothing directly above themselves. It fell in a heap on top of Frisk, enveloping them entirely. Frisk grasped the closest pieces and pulled them tighter around their body for the sake of comfort, creating a cocoon. _Not that this will stop any of them, but maybe now I at least won’t have to see the anger and disappointment in her face. I know what Sans said but maybe she changed her mind after all this. I made it so difficult for them, Sans looks so worn down. Even Papyrus looked worse for wear when he came in earlier. Why are they even bothering to keep me around, I cause them so much stress and-_

Once more, Frisk found their downward spiral into anxiety interrupted. The closet door opened, allowing a faint hint of light to seep through the layers surrounding them. There was a pause, and then a sigh as the individual eased themselves down to a patch of floor nearby, seemingly being careful not to trap Frisk in. _Who is out there? I can’t even tell right now! What if it is Toriel waiting to lecture me on how much trouble I caused everyone? What If they called the humans to take me back or even to take me to the hospital? I don’t want to go back into a group home!_

Frisk trembled and gripped their coverings tighter, willing the mountain of fabric to bury them so that they would never have to leave its safety. They paused when they heard the individual begin to hum, a deeper set of tones that both relaxed Frisk and put them on guard. _Asgore._

Asgore hummed a hauntingly familiar tune for several minutes, only pausing to take a breath now and again. Frist started to calm further as time progressed, their weak, exhausted body depleted of strength once more. Their hold on the clothes loosened with each passing moment and they leaned against the laundry basket for support. They fought against the sleep that threatened to overtake them, struggling to keep heavy eyelids open to little avail. More and more of their weight ended up against the laundry basket until Frisk felt it shift beside them, wobbling close to the point of tipping over.

A giant paw reached out and steadied them, repositioning their weight to lean against the back wall of the closet instead. It worked for a moment, then Frisk felt their body begin to droop downward, as if gravity had been increased in just that closet alone. From outside the heap of fabric Frisk heard Asgore chuckle. “My son used to fight against sleep as well. We were often curious how we would find him each morning, since he usually would end up falling asleep in whatever position he was in last. But the song I was humming…he never was able to resist the beckon of rest and dreams if we hummed it for him.”

Frisk grimaced at the thought of dreaming, but allowed Asgore to wrap his arms around them and pull their body onto his lap. They were too drained to protest, and once settled Frisk had to admit to themselves that it was far more comfortable than their spot on the floor. Their eyes widened a bit, however, when they felt Asgore unwrapping the outermost layers of their bundle. A strange sensation of displaced air and magic distracted them temporarily from the former King’s task. “How are they doing Asgore? No need to sugar-coat, just go ahead and sock me with it.” Sans’ voice rumbled through the fabric still covering them..

Frisk buried their face against Asgore’s shirt, the low vibrations of his laughter encompassing them. Tears welled up inside their eyes and they trembled as the last of the added layers were stripped away, leaving them in the meatball pajamas. They started breathing faster, a thought flitting through the back of their mind that they couldn’t even remember how many panic attacks they had already had today. Frisk felt Asgore’s chest vibrate again and heard Sans’ voice respond, sounding hundreds of feet away instead of right next to them like moments ago. Suddenly their body was being gripped tighter and shifted, causing them to try and curl themselves into a ball with little success. One set of hands was holding them still while the other pet their hair once before disappearing. An indeterminable amount of time passed (though Frisk was pretty sure that it was probably a lot shorter than it felt) and all the while Asgore gently spoke to them, not that they were able to comprehend any of it. For now, the deep, reassuring timbre of his voice kept Frisk from falling over the edge with their anxiety, giving them something to ground themselves.

Something else was being wrapped around them now by the other set of hands. The blanket brushed against their cheek and they realized it was an afghan. It cloaked their body and head but their face was left uncovered. After the blanket had been tightened around them enough that Frisk could almost make out the pattern in the yarn, they were settled back into Asgore’s lap, one broad arm hugging them against his stomach and chest.

Asgore started humming again and rubbing their back with an enormous paw, his other arm keeping them still. Despite the voice in the back of their mind screaming at them to get up in run, they found themselves relaxing into his embrace. Their head dropped forward and their body slumped down, exhaustion written on their features. Sleep, however, they kept at a distance, refusing to succumb while they were this venerable. It was a habit born of life in the group home, to not fall asleep until they were sure that everyone else had preceded them. It had kept them from harm a number of times in their life, and Frisk didn’t think that this was the time to stop. Asgore sighed and made an unseen motion towards Sans with one of his hands before laying it on Frisk’s knee, rubbing small circles-

 _“Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who, who?! Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who, who?! Who let the-“_ Frisk startled and was wide awake immediately, only kept from leaping out of their current position by Asgore’s hold on the blanket burrito they were trapped in. Asgore sheepishly fumbled for his phone as Sans howled with laughter. Over Sans’ lingering chuckles Frisk could just make out the voices of the dog couple, Dogamy and Dogressa, emitting from the phone’s speaker. Asgore’s face flashed an apology in their direction and he lifted the phone up to his own ear.

“Howdy! Thanks for reporting in; the situation is being handled but I will inform you if your presence is needed.” Asgore listened for a couple seconds before speaking up again.

“I think she would appreciate that, but I’ll let you know once any official plans are made. Tor-…the headmistress may already have something prepared. I’ll be glad to answer any questions tomorrow, I am a bit busy at this time.” He listened for a bit longer and smiled warmly.

“Thank you again, and have a nice day!”

Sans was still shaking with laughter when Asgore hung up and placed his phone off to the side. “Asgore, I hope those two weren’t dogging you” Sans rasped out. Frisk turned towards him, curious how a skeleton could be out of breath but willing to accept either magic or Sans’ laziness as a feasible answer.

“Also, did you choose that ringtone for them? Or has their short term memory loss finally kicked in and they wanted a serious answer to that question?”

Asgore chuckled as well, shifting Frisk in his lap so they could lean against him. “No, they simply like to bark along with the song. I get a great deal of mysterious ‘wrong number’ callers when I am working with the dog squad.” Asgore’s eyes twinkled merrily.

Sans was practically doubled over now, his laughter almost hysterical. “Sans, are you alright?” Asgore inquired.

“Sure am, just haven’t gotten a chance to laugh like this in a while.” Sans replied between breaths of air. “It was rather humerus. I guess you could say it really tickled my funny bone.”

Asgore shook his head in mock despair as Sans’ gained ahold of himself. However, all three of them stopped in disbelief when they heard a third voice start giggling. Much to Frisk’s surprise, it was their own. They quickly ceased and looked down, feeling uncomfortable in the silence. Sans quickly spoke up “See, the kid knows a good joke when they hear one. Hey Frisk, knock-“

Asgore interjected “Sans, I pardon the interruption of what I am sure would be a very punny joke, but Frisk’s tea is getting cold and they need to drink it while it is still hot.”

 _Tea? What tea? I know Asgore enjoys indulging in its consumption, but I don’t think I could handle a glass of hot seatea right now, no matter what healing properties it has._ A warmth nudging at their left knee broke them out of their musings. To their relief, it looked like a normal mug of hot tea, only the surface seemed to shimmer with a golden light. Asgore murmured behind them “It is made from the golden flowers in my garden, it will grant you healing and a peaceful rest.”

Before Frisk could panic about falling asleep Sans added “Kid, this will help keep the bad dreams away and let you get the sleep you clearly need. I know you are fighting it for whatever reason but please, go ahead and drink this. Your HP is a bit precarious right now as it is without you going into sleep deprivation.” He pressed the mug into their hands and backed away. “I’m going to head downstairs, okay? Just call if either of you need anything.”

Asgore thanked Sans while Frisk carefully swirled the tea around the inside of the mug, making note of the skull and crossbones design on the side. A white, fluffy paw came into their field of vision and settled over the mug, calming their fidgeting. “Frisk? I can assure you that it will be alright. I would drink some myself to show you but you need the full dose to heal and keep away whatever dreams Sans was speaking of.”

Frisk’s shoulders dropped and they attempted to lift the glass of tea up to their mouth, but their hands were shaking so badly that it almost started sloshing over the side. Asgore plucked the mug out of their hands and held it up to their mouth, pressing it gently against their lips. Frisk’s hands moved up to stabilize the mug and they began to drink from it, the giant goat monster encouraging them softly to finish it. Once it was gone, a wave of exhaustion washed over them and they curled their fingers through the holes in the blanket again, body drooping against Asgore’s. They heard the faint clink as Asgore set the cup down but sleep was overtaking them before a word of protest could be muttered. The last thing they remembered was Asgore settling their head against his shoulder and rising from the floor, still carrying them in his grasp.

 

Sans’ POV

Sans carefully closed the door behind himself and climbed down the stairs, choosing to take his time to put off the inevitable a little longer. Toriel was pacing the living room floor, her facial expressions constantly switching between anger, concern, and sadness. As soon as she spotted him she charged over, demanding the answers to the questions that he had put off while he helped take care of Frisk. “How are they? Why won’t you let me see them? Why did you need Asgore to go up there? What aren’t you telling me?“ Sans waited patiently as she ranted, knowing that her ire was more due to being unable to control the situation. When she stopped to take a breath he put a hand up and led her over to the couch, flopping on a cushion. From the sounds of it, Alphys, Undyne, Mettaton, and Papyrus were all in the kitchen, arguing about whether oatmeal for breakfast or spaghetti for dinner would be the best meal of the day. Toriel perched beside him, her body angled towards his and a no nonsense look upon her face.

“Frisk is…well physically they are doing okay. Right now they are suffering a lot of anxiety and they have been suffering panic attacks at the thought of disappointing you so for now I wanted to ease their mind. Asgore brought over some Golden Flower tea and I think we convinced them to drink it. As for your last question, I’m going to wait until everyone is here.”

A creak at the top of the stairs had them all looking up towards Papyrus’ room. Asgore was emerging with Frisk bundled in his arms, the kid clearly fast asleep. Toriel rushed towards them and held back at the last second, instead just putting out her arms so that Asgore could gently deposit the sleeping child in them. She immediately began petting their head, hugging them close to her body. “My child…they are safe now. Everything will be okay.”

Sans coughed and rubbed his skull. “Yeah, about that. There is a letter that you all need to read. From the looks of it, they were planning to leave it on Grillby’s doorstep when he found them outside. You’ll have to thank him later, he nearly burnt himself out trying to keep them warm on the walk home.” The conversation in the kitchen had already ceased and at his words everyone came into the living room, sitting wherever there was space. Sans pulled the letter out again and dropped it on the coffee table, the small piece of wrapping paper looking harmless at first glance. There was hesitation to pick it up by all of those gathered, but finally Sans broke the silence. He tugged Frisk out of Toriel’s arms (though she looked a bit disgruntled to let them go) and pushed it towards her.

“Trust me, it is probably better for you not to be holding them while you read this. Let me put them in bed so that we don’t have to worry about waking them.” He jumped through a shortcut before anyone could say otherwise and laid Frisk on the bed, pulling the covers over their body and smoothing the hair back from their face. Once he was sure that they would continue to sleep, he went back through and sat down again. The letter was still in Toriel’s hands, unopened. She was staring at it with a look of trepidation. Sans sighed and took it back, opening it up and preparing to deal with the onslaught of emotions they were about to face.

“Dear Everyone…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ain't I a stinker
> 
> Ringtone: “Who let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men
> 
> Mentioned "hauntingly familiar tune": "Hopes and Dreams" of course B)


	21. Being Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't even want to know how many writer's blocks I hit with this chapter. Though I am sure you can guess based on how long it took me to produce it.

“Dear Everyone, I am leaving town forever. Please don’t try to find me, you are better off without me.  I know I am just a burden. No one wants me around, not even my parents. Humans don’t like other humans that are-“ Sans paused for a moment. There were several erasure marks on the paper here, as if Frisk couldn’t decide what word to use. Clearing his throat, he continued.

“-different. And I am very different so no one likes me. More people will like you guys if you aren’t with me. You all are so nice and I am not. I have caused a lot of trouble and don’t want to cause anymore. It’s okay, I am used to taking care of myself. You guys deserve to be happy more than I do. Best Wishes, Frisk. P.S. If you are trying to find me because I freed you, don’t worry about it. You don’t owe me anything.”

Sans trailed off, finishing with the postscript that was squeezed in at the bottom of the paper. He had taken a better look at some of the eraser marks earlier and what was not said concerned him more. For now, though, what they had written was enough to give everyone an idea of what they had gone through.

He looked up and glanced around the room. Everyone was frozen in place with an entire gauntlet of emotions plastered on their faces. Undyne was inevitably the first to act. “YOUR MAJESTY, PERMISSION TO GO BEAT UP SOME HUMANS.”

“Stand down Undyne, we can’t jeopardize our relations with the humans like that.” Asgore spoke through his paws, holding his head. He looked tired, yet unsurprised. Sans guessed that he had suspected this but hadn’t wanted to say anything.

“JEOPARDIZE? WHY WOULD WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH THE HUMANS WHEN THEY TREAT THEIR OWN LIKE THIS?” Toriel burst out in rage. She stood up, a fireball within her hand. “THEY ARE GIVEN THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF A CHILD AND THEY TOSS IT AWAY LIKE IT IS NOTHING!”

Everyone stopped when they heard sounds of crying in the corner. Papyrus was standing there, curled into a ball, tears streaming down his cheeks. “D-does this mean I c-can’t be friends with my favorite h-humans anymore? All I w-wanted was to m-make friends and be the best-t ambassad-dor I could be.” Papyrus looked up towards the rest of them, despair wrought in his features. Sans raced forward to comfort him but a certain metallic arm snaked its way around his brother first.

“Darling, you have done an excellent job as ambassador, which includes making friends with the humans. Now think, have the humans you met acted like this?” Mettaton asked gently, glaring at the rest to keep quiet.

Papyrus took a deep breath and thought for a moment. “No, most of them have been very nice. Some of the humans are mean or rude, but that is only because they haven’t gotten a chance to know us better.”

“Precisely! Now maybe the humans that hurt Frisk are bad, but that doesn’t mean EVERYONE is like that. And before we go casting judgements on all the humans, we need to remember that many of them are kind and understanding.” Mettaton rubbed Papyrus’ back and looked up towards the former queen. Sans glanced up as well and saw the contrition on her face.

“I apologize to you, Papyrus, and to the rest of you as well. I let my emotions get the better of me. We cannot judge an entire set of people on just the actions of a few. I was so angry I forgot about my human students, coworkers, parents, and friends that have done much to assist us here on the surface. While one day I hope that we can bring justice to those that hurt my child, the best thing we can do now is help Frisk.” Toriel looked up the stairs towards the sleeping child.

Alphys stuttered softly “F-Frisk should probably see a d-doctor soon, but it can wait until the s-storm is done. They need sleep more than anything.” She yawned and lay against Undyne, who wrapped an arm around her.

“I think we ALL need sleep right now.” Asgore remarked, standing up and pulling his coat on. Sans zipped to his brother’s room and carefully picked up Frisk, walking out to see Toriel standing at the top of the steps.

“May I?” She held her arms out, but the look on her face showed that she wasn’t demanding he hand them over. Sans smiled and gently shifted Frisk into her arms, the kid a boneless bundle in sleep. Toriel held Frisk close and leaned down to kiss their forehead before turning around and walking back down the steps. Everyone was standing around the living room, unsure of what to do now. Grillby was awake as well and sitting on the couch, his fire still dimmer than normal. Undyne and Alphys had put their coats back on as well and Alphys’ bag was slung around Asgore’s shoulders. Alphys was relaying instructions on the medicine to Asgore.

“…and they need to take this pill every 12 hours, starting in the morning, for 10 days. There is an inhaler if they s-start coughing again, but only use it every 4 hours. C-call me if you have questions.” Asgore nodded and tucked the medicine into the bag with the other supplies. In his other paw was another bag with a stuffed animal sticking out of the top. _Must be the supplies that he and Tori brought with them._

Toriel paused at the door, then turned around to face the others. “I can’t thank you all enough for helping us find Frisk. In fact, I think it would be good if you all are there when they wake up, since you all aren’t just their friends, but family as well. We have enough room for everyone at our house, and if you don’t mind a little chill you can ride in the bed of the truck. It has stopped snowing at any rate.” She glanced around at the others, a silent plea in her eyes.

Sans chuckled “A moonlit ride through the snow? Gosh, you are going to make me all starry-eyed. I will come along if you think you have the space for it.”

Papyrus groaned, “I will come too, if only to save your majesties and Frisk from more space puns.”

“What do you say, nerd? Want to look at the stars with me tonight?” Undyne wrapped her arms around Alphys and kissed her cheek. Alphys squeaked and nodded, pulling on the rest of her winter clothes in excitement.

Mettaton shook his head “No thank you, but Blook and I can be over first thing in the morning! I don’t have everything I would need to stay fully charged long enough and I am sure that Blooky will want to see Frisk is safe as well.”

Sans looked over at Grillby, who sat on the couch, swaying in exhaustion. “Come on, Grillbs, you are coming with us. Your magic levels are still dangerously low there; don’t want you to burn something down on accident.”

Grillby opened his mouth, perhaps to retort, but a yawn took over and he merely blinked and nodded in acquiescence. Papyrus bounded into the kitchen “I’ll bring some spaghetti for you to eat on the ride over Grillby! I’ll bring some for everyone!”

Grillby looked up in concern and Sans hastily called out “Papyrus I don’t think it is good to eat while we sit in the back of the truck, the spaghetti will be frozen solid. You can just pack some up to go and we can eat it once we arrive, okay?” He entered the kitchen and found Papyrus attempting to fit a mountain of spaghetti into the largest container they had.

“Uh bro, don’t think all of that is going to fit.” Sans pulled the Tupperware towards himself and fit the lid on, glancing back at Pap. “You okay bud?”

Papyrus shook himself out of a daze. “OF COURSE SANS! WE HAVE OUR HUMAN AND WE KNOW HOW TO HELP THEM NOW! BUT THEY ARE SO SKINNY I AM NOT SURE THAT I MADE ENOUGH SPAGHETTI.”

Sans chuckled “Bro, you made plenty for now, and we can keep these leftovers for later. Besides, you always said your best spaghetti is when you make it fresh and you wouldn’t want to give Frisk anything less right now, would you?” He barely finished speaking when Papyrus picked him up into a bear hug.

“YOU ARE CORRECT BROTHER, THE TASTIEST SPAGHETTI IS WHEN YOU EAT IT THE FIRST DAY! AND FRISK DESERVES THE VERY BEST SO THAT THEY CAN GET BETTER!” Papyrus swung Sans around in a circle. Sans attempted to pat his brother on the back while averting his eyes from the swirling scenery.

“Yeah Papyrus, that’s right. But we need to get going, so can you put me down? I’m a-boat to feel seasick.” Papyrus jerked to a stop and released him, dropping him on the floor.

“ENOUGH WITH THE PUNS BROTHER, YOU ARE RUINING THIS KODAK MOMENT.” Papyrus put away the leftover spaghetti and picked up the large container to take with him, leaving the kitchen in a huff. Sans snickered quietly when he saw a grin pulling itself onto Papyrus’ face, the skeleton clearly trying to look upset with him still. He stood up and walked to the door to grab his winter coat.

“COME ON SLOW POKES, IT IS TIME TO GO! ME AND MY BABE WANT TO DRINK HOT COCOA IN FRONT OF A FIRE!” Undyne yelled out from the bed of the truck. Asgore, Tori, and Frisk were already settled into the cab, and Alphys had taken her seat while Undyne pulled Grillby up beside her. Papyrus picked Sans up under his arm and walked quickly over to the truck, barely allowing Sans enough time to lock their front door. Papyrus lifted Sans into the truck and then vaulted up, getting praise from Undyne when he stuck the landing.

“Everyone ready? Make sure you stay sitting back there, don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Asgore leaned his head out the window. They all found a place and settled in, Papyrus giving Asgore a thumbs up when all were sitting. Asgore rolled up his window and slowly peeled out into the streets, driving slow to prevent an accident.

Sans leaned against his brother and looked up at the stars. The sky had cleared and they were shining bright in the dark night. His eyes slowly shut and he drifted off, his lullaby to Frisk running through his head once more. _The sun goes down, the stars come out, and all that counts, is here and now. My universe will never be the same. I’m glad you came, I’m glad you came._

 

**Frisk POV**

Frisk slowly woke up, unwilling to move or open their eyes. Their entire body felt heavy and sore from the day before, and Frisk wasn’t entire sure how long they were asleep. Flexing their fingers, they realized that they were still wrapped in the afghan. Frisk pulled their eyes open and blinked repeatedly, trying to get their surroundings to sharpen into focus. They were laying on a large couch, their feet only just reaching the halfway point. On the other side of the couch was Alphys, her focus on the television across from them. In the corner was a Christmas tree, lights twinkling merrily above a small mound of gifts.

 Frisk turned their head to the side, finding Asgore sitting in an enormous chair, and on the end table next to him was… _Asriel? No wait, like this he is just Flowey. Did they manage to bring him up here too? I wonder if he remembers everything that happened when the barrier was broken. He said that he wouldn’t but what if some small part of him knows. I don’t think he would be on the surface, living amongst the other monsters, if there wasn’t something inside him that guessed at it. Even so, there is no guarantee that he won’t be up to his usual tricks._

Asgore began speaking, breaking Frisk’s chain of thought. “Okay, a phrase with 8 words and he guessed the letter T. This one is a bit tough for me, do you know it Alphys?” Frisk looked back at the TV and saw that Wheel of Fortune was on.

“It’s ‘Don’t let the cat out of the bag’ you morons.” Flowey’s tone was laced with boredom as he rolled his eyes, his gaze falling on Frisk. “By the way sleeping beauty is awake; I guess they realized the prince is dead.”

“That’s enough Flowey,” the king reprimanded the sulking plant, “and you know that isn’t how we treat our friends. Sorry about that Frisk, I would say he normally behaves himself but this is about as good as it gets.” Asgore picked up Flowey’s pot and carried him up to the second floor, his voice echoing in the stairwell. “If you can’t be civil then you can watch TV in the office…” His voice trailed off as a door opened and closed.

Frisk sat quietly as Alphys turned her attention back to the game show, catching her eyes on their form a couple times.  The door upstairs opened and closed again, heavy footsteps now clomping closer. Frisk pulled themselves into a ball on the couch, anxiety beginning to flare up. The sleep had done them a great deal of good and had allowed them to accept what had been said the night before. Even so, they couldn’t help the tension that crept back into the muscles.

A large paw gently rested on their head, making slow circular motions. “Frisk, are you hungry? Toriel has whipped together some lunch.”

Frisk looked up wide-eyed at Asgore, questions crawling across their face. Asgore leaned down and picked them up gently, resting them on his hip. “You look like you have questions, so while we go seat ourselves, I’ll try to answer a few. You are currently in my portion of the duplex I share with Toriel, your room is over on her side. Flowey stays on mine, so don’t worry about him trying to pull any pranks on you in your room.” Asgore began striding towards what Frisk guessed was the shared portion of the home, as they could hear voices getting louder in that direction. They buried their face in Asgore’s shoulder, coughing stopping their plummet into hyperventilation.

Asgore pat their back calmly. “You already sound a bit better today, but we’ll worry about getting you seen once the snow clears. Right now we are going to have lunch with family. Grillby won’t be attending, poor guy fell back asleep this morning after someone slipped him a cup of tea like the one I gave you. While I can’t say I agree with their tactics, I must say that Grillby has never looked better rested than he does now. Maybe that will teach him not to overextend himself.” Asgore chuckled as he walked through an entryway, and even Frisk found themselves giggling at the thought of Grillby having to take a break.

The voices in the room quieted down for a moment as they took in the newcomers, then rose back up. Asgore leaned down and softly deposited Frisk in a seat before standing back up and heading towards one of the heads of the table. Frisk pulled the blanket tighter around themselves and checked to see who all was present. Undyne was sitting down near Asgore, and Alphys slipped into the seat next to Frisk and across from her girlfriend. Napstablook was on their other side, and Mettaton near the other head of the table. Across from the three of them were Sans and Papyrus, and finally, walking in with a platter of sandwiches, was…their new mom.

Frisk blinked back tears and looked down at their own plate, discovering that someone had already served them a bowl of soup. A paw came down over their right shoulder and placed half a sandwich on their plate. “There you go, my child. If you eat all this you can have more in a bit, we don’t want you to feeling too sick to eat s’mores later.”

The tears came back with a vengeance and began dripping down their face. _They are treating me like I didn’t run and hide from them, like this is where I belong._ They were being wrapped up in a hug, Toriel making sure not to squeeze too hard. From outside their cocoon Frisk heard chairs scrapping and then more bodies were joining them. Somewhere above their head they heard Papyrus talking. “THIS IS THE FIRST FAMILY HUG, I WISH I BROUGHT MY CAMERA! I AM GOING TO MAKE A SCRAPBOOK OF MY NEW FAMILY.”

Frisk started laughing, their tears drying up. Something about how happy Papyrus sounded to be able to call these monsters family…it gave them hope. Drying their eyes on the blanket, they picked up their spoon once everyone had sat back down and began to eat.

The day passed quickly from then on, spurts of activity followed by periods of rest. Frisk had another coughing bout when they saw Undyne and Papyrus competing with who could make a better snow sculpture, while sans made his bank of snow into a lawn chair and took a nap. After that it was time for a movie (or three) with hot cocoa by a roaring fire. During breaks between movies the gifts from under the tree found their way into Frisk’s lap, each one bringing new delights. Dinner was relaxed, with simple nutritious food that filled Frisk’s stomach. They barely made it through the meal before a wave of tiredness swept through their body, almost causing them to face plant on their plate.

“Let’s get you to bed child, you have had a long and busy day.” Toriel picked them up, Frisk’s head falling against her shoulder in a second. Carrying Frisk over to her side of the house, Toriel walked up the stairs and into a room that Frisk hadn’t been shown yet. It was the lightest purple with blue and green accents. Frisk noticed that all their gifts were sitting on the desk, ready to be put away.

Toriel pulled back the covers of the bed and sat down, still holding Frisk. They noticed that there were several stuffed animals already waiting them on the bed itself, and even more peeked out of the toy box on the other side of the room. Toriel seemed lost in thought as they sat there, so Frisk took the moment to look around. A bed, dresser, nightstand, and a desk were already in the room, with space for personalization. On the outside of the open door, they could see that a clay nameplate was hung up. Finally, Toriel cleared her throat and looked down at Frisk. “Before you go to sleep, I do have one thing I wish to ask.”

Frisk took a deep breath, trying not to panic. _This is it, this is when she asks why I did what I did. I don’t know that I even have an answer…or at least not one that makes sense anymore._

Toriel reached towards the nightstand, pulling a large envelope over. “There is something left to open, would you do the honors?”

Frisk trembled as they slid their hands out of the blanket, pulling the flap of the envelope up. Inside was a sheath of papers, most of it in legal formatting. But, on top of it all, lay a small sheet of paper with a floral border. On it was a much simpler sentence. _Frisk, will you give me the privilege of calling you my child?_

“This may seem like a shock, but I have been working very hard to be able to adopt you. I understand if you would rather go live with a human family, but please, consider making this the place you call home?” Toriel’s eyes were rimmed with tears.

Frisk dropped the papers and hugged their new mom, nodding their head yes against her robes. They heard Toriel gasp and then she pulled them closer, gently rocking them back and forth. “In that case Frisk, welcome home. We are all so happy to be a family.”

 

**Epilogue**

8 months later (Late August)

“FOUND YOU PUNK!” Undyne leapt into the bushes where they were hiding, picking them up and tossing them over her shoulder. “DIDN’T I SAY NOT TO EVER RUN AWAY FROM ME?”

Papyrus came jogging over. “BUT UNDYNE, I BELIEVE THAT IS THE POINT OF HIDE AND SEEK. YOU FOUND THE REST OF US FIRST THOUGH SO NOW IT IS FRISK’S TURN TO BE ‘IT’.”

Undyne lifted Frisk higher above her head. “I STILL TOLD THEM NOT TO RUN FROM ME ANYMORE, AND THEY TRIED TO. THAT MEANS I GET TO KIDNAP THEM FOR AN ANIME NIGHT THIS WEEK!”

Frisk was giggling at the fish monster’s excuse to have them over. It wasn’t the worst one she had used and Frisk was allowed to go stay over at the other ‘family’ member’s houses on non-school nights. They had spent several nights camping out under the stars with Sans and Papyrus this summer, learning about the constellations.

Papyrus reached up and grabbed a hold of Frisk, pulling them safely from Undyne’s grasp into his own. He ran away from Undyne, still carrying them in his arms. “GUESS WHAT UNDYNE, WE ARE BOTH RUNNING AWAY NOW! GUESS YOU HAVE TO KIDNAP ME TOO!”

“YOU DORK YOU WERE ALREADY INVITED!” Undyne chased them both down nevertheless and reclaimed Frisk, putting them up on her shoulders. This gave Frisk the perfect view of their family, eccentric as it was. Grillby and Asgore were manning the grill, the rest of them unable to convince Grillby that yes, someone else could do the job. Eventually they had reached the compromise that Grillby was only allowed to help prep and cook the food, and not do it all on his own. Sans was stretched out on a picnic blanket on the grass, having told Papyrus that he was “hiding in plain sight.” The dog pack members were laying all over Sans and the blanket after a long romp through the park earlier. Toriel was chatting with Napstablook by the food, Mettaton and Alphys sitting under the picnic shelter close at hand.

“HEY, FRISK, WAKE UP!” Undyne’s voice brought them out of their musings. “I FOUND YA, PUNK, IT’S YOUR TURN TO BE IT.”

Frisk nodded and put their head against a tree, counting slowly. Getting to 20, they stopped and turned around, beaming happily at the loved ones all around. “Ready or not, here I come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow....can you guys believe it is the end? Don't worry, I didn't forget about my promise to make the second half and extend it. However, when I thought about it further, I realized that the themes for the second half of this fic were going to be a bit...darker...to say the least. So everyone gets this nice happy fluffy ending and I'll let you know when the 2nd fic in the series is up. That fic will take place before the epilogue (more details will come when the first chapters are written). 
> 
> Thank you all so much for coming along on this hare-brained ride with me. Hard to believe my first fanfiction I ever started is now complete. I hope it lived up to your expectations, or at the very least was worth the time you spent reading it. Though, to be fair, if you made it this far, you must have been entertained enough to want to know how it ended ;)


	22. Sneak Preview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is just a quick part of the beginning of the first chapter of the second part to this work (try saying that five times fast)! 
> 
> Quick note: I may need someone who is willing to let me bounce ideas off of them while creating the next part. This would need to be someone who has read and understands Getting Lost; Being Found as the second part is based directly off of it. They would also preferably be able to correct me if I stray on anything storywise or if some detail mentioned in the first part needs to be reestablished or continued in the second. I.e. a beta of sorts. If you are interested, let me know! Tumblr is the easiest way to message me directly. 
> 
> Thank you to any who are here to continue this journey with me. The angst train is about to leave the station.

“HEY FRISK, NO WONDER YOU RUN TO THEM, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A MONSTER!” One of the particularly cruel girls from the home called out. Her name was Mary Beth and from the moment she had met Frisk, she had put most of her time and effort into tormenting them. The home caretakers had done little to stop it, telling them to work it out for themselves, and maybe if they would just act and look normal and stop with this nonsense gender issue then she would be nice to Frisk. Frisk had merely stopped coming to the adults after that, suffering the abuse in silence while hoping that either they or Mary Beth would be adopted. But no one wanted a child like them, and Mary Beth did have parents who were working to reclaim her, a fact she touted to all who entered the home. It didn’t matter that her parents were always delaying the paperwork because of drug use, and that she would always end up back at the home within weeks; she had parents who wanted her, and she made sure everyone knew it. “Who would ever adopt a freak like you?” was her favorite insult to Frisk, and only one of the many she used. But now it seemed like she had a new one. Frisk simply looked up at the monsters, waiting for anyone to come to their defense, to tell this bully that Frisk was loved now, and had a family who wanted them.

“What do you mean, Frisk is a monster?” Toriel questioned, her voice oddly tight. Frisk gave a small smile; they knew their new mom would come to their rescue. Toriel walked a little closer and looked down at Frisk. “Monsters are much kinder and less selfish than Frisk is. Frisk is the worst human any of us have ever met. We only used them to get out of the Underground so that we could make friends with actual good humans, and not scum like them.” Behind her came similar murmurs of agreement, and Papyrus was pointedly ignoring them altogether.

Frisk’s face dropped and tears flowed freely down their cheeks. _I knew it, how could anyone ever want me. I was a fool to think otherwise. I should have kept running from them, they never wanted to be my family. No one wants freaks like me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry to anyone named Mary Beth who I may have offended. I simply plucked a name out of thin air, and tried to make it fairly generic.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come unless I get boo'd out or something. I did my best to make sure Frisk stayed agender but it was more difficult than one might think.
> 
> Why did the skeleton church close down?  
> Well, it had good bones but was organ-less.
> 
> You know, every time I see two Gasters together in the same universe, I can't help but thing to myself that it is a pair-a-docs.
> 
> I changed my fanfiction Tumblr because I realized I'm an adult but not everyone who reads my work is, so now come find me at [accidentalfanfiction](https://accidentalfanfiction.tumblr.com/)


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